Stronger
by GhostPikachu
Summary: After Nobuko's death, Izumi Kazuyuki just wants to make the pain stop. He decides to move himself and his son, Shinichi, away from his memory-filled house and to an unfamiliar part of Tokyo: the neighborhood outside True Cross Town. Shinichi finds out about cram school and decides to go as a defense against Parasites. Can he keep his secret from the exorcists in training?
1. Moving Day

**Hey guys! I wasn't planning on starting a new story so soon after The Phantom of New York ended, but I've had this idea in my head for a while and I want to get it into words. Because I am not Japanese, nor do I speak the language, I will not be using honorifics. Also, I'm not really sure whether (P?)parasite should be capitalized or not. Unless someone tells me otherwise, I'm going to capitalize it. If any are reading who have not read/seen Parasyte, I only explain the basics. I'm not going to explain all of what went down with Nobuko (Shinichi's mother). I'm going to refer to Shinichi's dad as Kazuyuki most of time because it's less awkward-sounding than saying 'Shinichi's dad' all the time. Sorry if this chapter is a tad dull but this is essentially just here to set up the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Parasyte: The Maxim or Blue Exorcist**

**Onwards!**

* * *

1

Moving Day

Izumi Shinichi was lying on his bed, wondering what was going to become of his dad. Ever since his mother's death, his dad had never really been the same. He had fallen into depression. The Izumi Kazuyuki the neighborhood had known before was replaced with a shattered man. He kept up a façade, but Shinichi knew that he was definitely not okay.

"Shinichi, come down for dinner!" yelled his father from downstairs.

"Coming!" Shinichi yelled, getting off of his bed. "Migi, quit reading for thirty minutes so I can go eat dinner."

Now there was something very unusual about Izumi Shinichi. Just mere months ago, a new species had shown up to Earth. This species killed people and took their skin as their own. They took over the body's control center, the brain, and killed it, leaving the shell of a person inhabited by this creature. They were simply called Parasites. In Shinichi's case, a parasite had _tried_ to take over his brain. However, Shinichi had cut off his circulation with a tightly wrapped pair of ear buds. Thus, said parasite matured in his right hand. Shinichi called the parasite "Migi." Migi had become an ally of sorts; Shinichi relied on him at any rate to take care of Parasites.

"Alright," Migi said blankly as he reverted back into Shinichi's right hand. "I'm going to go to sleep soon anyway."

That was just one of the things that set Parasites apart from regular humans. They had the ability to change their skin and stretch it to an extreme degree as well as produce blades.

Shinichi hurried down the stairs to sit down with his father. As they ate in silence, Kazuyuki began to mumble to himself quietly, but Shinichi could hear him perfectly well with his enhanced hearing.

"Nobuko was always a better cook than I ever was," he muttered, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Shinichi, I have news," Kazuyuki said, absentmindedly picking at his peas with his fork.

"Oh?" said Shinchi, eyeing his right hand.

"We're moving."

Shinichi nearly choked. "Moving? What about the-uh-what about Murano? Why are we moving?"

Kazuyuki gave Shinichi a hard look full of longing and said, "The memories are too much."

There was a silence for a moment before Kazuyuki spoke up again, this time with a tone a tad lighter. "Relax, we're staying in Tokyo. We're just moving to a different part. We're going to a neighborhood near True Cross Academy, the high school that you will be attending."

"Isn't True Cross Academy that enormous, prestigious school?"

"Yes."

"But that school costs a lot of money!"

"Even though your grades started to slip this year, they're still good enough that you got in on a scholarship."

"I see. I'm going to go to my room," said Shinichi, promptly getting up and walking off.

"What are we going to do about the Parasites here? Will I be too far away to protect Murano?" Shinchi started stressing aloud as he ran his left hand through his hair.

"True Cross Academy is on the other side of the city," said Migi. "It would not be prudent to make the trip every day, never mind the fact that being gone for so long could arouse suspicion in your father. I know you're not here a lot for Parasitic reasons, but you're always home for a period of time, usually in the evening when Parasite activities have died down. If you made the trip every day, you would barely be here at all and your father would certainly notice such lengthy absence. It would also raise suspicion with Murano."

"I know, but I can't help but worry," said Shinichi, sitting down at his computer to do a little research of his own on True Cross.

"I'm going to sleep. Stay inside until I wake up," said Migi.

"Really, Migi! You always pick-" Shinichi started before he realized that he was just talking to his hand now. He grunted in frustration and typed away at his computer.

* * *

Two weeks later, moving day came. Murano had shown up to help pack away the remainder of the Izumi's belongings and to see off Shinichi.

"Thanks for coming, Murano," said Shinichi as they packed away the last of the boxes into the truck.

"It's no problem at all! I just wish you didn't have to leave, Izumi," replied Murano shyly.

"I don't particularly want to leave either, but I have to go with my dad," he said.

"I understand," Murano said, a little sadness seeping into her voice.

"Shinichi, the truck is loaded so let's get going!" yelled Kazuyuki climbing into the driver seat.

"Coming!" Shinichi yelled back as he turned to Murano. "We'll keep in touch, right?"

"Of course, Izumi. Every day," she said softly.

"Be safe!" said Shinichi over his shoulder as he walked away.

"You be safe too!" she said as she turned to go back to her own home.

"We are starting with a clean slate," said Kazuyuki as Shinichi got into the truck. "Make the most of it."

_If only I could start with a clean slate,_ Shinichi thought as memories of Parasites like Tamiya Ryoko and Mr. A flashed through his mind. _But now that my heart is like this, now that I've collected all these scars, there's no going back. There's no starting anew. There's only continuation of what has happened already._

* * *

Once Shinichi and Kazuyuki arrived, they immediately set to work on unpacking everything. Kazuyuki had the movers set aside Shinichi's belongings so he could start unpacking and set up his room the way he wanted it to be.

"When am I going to be starting at True Cross?" asked Shinichi as he lifted the first box. It seemed awfully light to him but he knew that was just his enhanced strength.

"Next week when we're more settled in," replied Kazuyuki, lifting up his own box.

"Just how much of this did you do in advance without telling me?" asked Shinichi.

"Some," replied Kazuyuki vaguely as he went inside.

Shinichi sighed and went inside. He knew that Migi would ask him to get to know the area for quick escape and such. He had a long week ahead of him, and on top of that starting at an entirely new school.

_True Cross can't be_ that _bad, _though Shinichi. _I just hope no one gets hurt because of me. _


	2. True Cross Academy

**Usually when I first post a story, there's a burst of consistent updates. So, I'm going to get the story started and update whenever I can! Oh, and please let me know if I'm going too fast. I have a bit of a problem with that. The introduction to cram school is taking a little more writing than I thought so the next chapter is actually going to be when things really get started.**

**shinshinjane: Thank you so much for reviewing! It means a lot to me that you took the time to do that. I know a few authors that use a poll to determine something or ask for ideas, but I've never done that myself. I may ask for ideas eventually though.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

2

True Cross Academy

If there was one thing Shinichi was good at, it was getting things done quickly. Despite his drop in grades once he had Parasitic duties, he was just the efficient sort of person who got whatever he could done in the shortest amount of time.

"How on Earth did you get unpacked and set up so quickly?" asked Kazuyuki a few days after moving day as he came into the kitchen.

"I don't know," answered Shinichi, shrugging. He stuffed another mouthful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Well, I wish I could work that quickly. I guess you can start on the rest of the house early," said Kazuyuki, making a slight gesture towards the barren living room.

Shinichi didn't respond as he got up, put his plate on the kitchen counter, and walked to the moving truck still parked outside the house.

"Since when did you get so strong, Shinichi?" muttered his father as he continued eating. "It's like you're a different person than the son I know."

* * *

"Shinichi!" called Kazuyuki.

There was a muffled "What?" from upstairs before Kazuyuki heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"You're going to be starting at True Cross Academy tomorrow," said Kazuyuki as Shinichi emerged into the room.

"I can't believe I forgot! I don't have the uniform yet," groaned an annoyed Shinichi as he slapped his forehead.

"It's a good thing I do then," said Kazuyuki calmly as he handed a bag to his son.

* * *

The next day, Shinichi arrived early and a student gave him a tour of the school. Shinichi couldn't help but marvel at the size of the school, though he kept it to himself.

"Classes start in fifteen minutes," said the student after she had shown him where his classes were going to be.

"Okay, thanks," replied Shinichi as he walked towards where his first class was going to be.

Once second period rolled around, Shinichi started having problems.

"Shinichi," said the familiar voice from his hand.

"What?" hissed Shinichi as he held his hand to his ear, pretending to be leaning on it.

"One of my kind is 250 meters away," said Migi.

Shinichi's hand shot up.

"Yes, Mr. Izumi?" droned the teacher.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" said Shinichi hurriedly, the urgency in his voice causing a few people to snicker.

"Yes," said the teacher, turning back to the chalkboard.

Shinichi flew out of the room, catching a few surprised looks on his way out. He followed Migi's directions when he presented them.

"Ten meters," said Migi. "Just around that corner to your left."

"Those monsters," Shinichi snarled, skidding to a halt as he took in the scene in front of him.

Shinichi had seen this type of scene countless times before, but each time brought a new kind of shock and rage. The Parasite in front of them was finishing off the last pieces of a human. She looked to be only a teenager. She had had so much ahead of her. Shinichi tore his eyes away from the corpse and focused on the Parasite. Upon sensing Migi, the Parasite turned around just in time to get a _hard_ kick in the gut.

The Parasite looked to be about twenty-five. He was in a male body that had a strong buildup of muscles.

"Shinichi," murmured Migi, "there are humans coming. Stand down."

"Humans! They're going to get killed!" Shinichi quietly yelled.

"Do it now!" said Migi sharply. "If they see us, I have to kill them."

Shinichi hesitated before retreating to the shadows. The second Shinichi wasn't noticeable anymore, voices could he heard nearby and running footsteps got closer and closer until several people appeared. All they saw of the Parasite was a figure jumping an unnatural height and disappearing over a building.

All of them wore long, dark coats and had some kind of weapon except for one.

"It got away," said one of them in a disappointed tone.

"I can see that, Neuhaus," said another one, who looked annoyed. "What we need to do is track it. Can't have a demon running loose."

"What about her?" asked another one, pointing to the body on the ground.

"We'll get her later and bring her to the Order. For now, we need to get that demon," said 'Neuhaus.' He had a mop of brown hair and an eye patch.

_Demon? _Thought Shinichi. _Is that how they refer to Parasites? Are they some sort of Parasite hunting team? Maybe they're with the branch of police dealing with them._

"Do you mean to tell me that you intend to just leave a dead body here?" one of them asked with an incredulous tone. "Look, I know how you feel about demons-heck, how we _all _feel about demons-but you can't just leave her here."

"Fine, someone stay behind and carry her back to be identified while the rest of us go," said Neuhaus.

"No, you know how crucial all parts of a team are," argued another one.

"Get back up then," growled Neuhaus.

"We're probably going to need some more Dragoons. An extra Aria couldn't hurt either. We've been trying to track this particular demon for about a week and a half now," said one of the figures.

"Fine, let's just go already," said the last person in the group.

They all nodded in agreement and left.

"What was that?" asked Shinichi.

"I do not know. I will research this later and see if they are a threat," replied Migi.

Shinichi sighed and raced back to True Cross as fast as he could. He got a few strange looks upon entering, but he was too deep in thought to care. Shinichi was just amazed he had made it back to school before the class ended.

* * *

At the end of the day on his way home, he heard a couple people mention "cram school." Curious, Shinichi edged a little closer to hear better. He was glad right then that his hearing was enhanced so he didn't have to get painfully close to hear what the people were saying.

"Do you think we're going to get to actually fight demons anytime soon?" asked a voice.

"I don't know. I'm not the teacher," said a kind of grumpy-sounding voice.

_This cram school is connected to those people from earlier. They mentioned demons too. I want in.  
_

Shinichi reversed his direction and got to the principal as fast as he could.

* * *

"Sir, a student wants to see you," said the secretary of none other than Mephisto Pheles, principal of True Cross Academy, though he was better known as Johann Faust.

"Let him in," said Mephisto, putting down his pink nail filer.

A pretty average looking student entered the room, but something about him seemed to stand out to Mephisto.

"What is your name?" asked Mephisto.

"Izumi Shinichi, sir."

"And what do you need, Mr. Izumi?"

"I want to join cram school."

Mephisto stopped for a moment before allowing an amused smile to place itself on his lips. "Oh? Where did you hear about cram school?"

"I heard some students talking about it."

"Do you know exactly what you're signing up for, Izumi Shinichi? I doubt it if you heard students simply talking about it."

"Yes I do, sir."

"Very well then. If you insist. Take this key, and tomorrow after school, go to whatever door you feel like going to. Unlock it with that key and it will lead to where cram school takes place."

Mephisto wasn't really sure why he was letting just anyone into cram school, but something about this student made him think that he knew what he was signing up for and he could handle it, despite his flimsy explanation of how he knew about it.

Shinichi nodded and exited the room.


	3. Cram School

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the favorites and follows! I really appreciate it. Anyway, now that it's spring break, I will have plenty of time to update next week. I'm not entirely sure I spelled 'Renzou' right so if I didn't, please let me know. Onwards! **

* * *

3

Cram School

"Shinichi, get up! You're going to be late!" yelled Kazuyuki from downstairs as the front door shut. Shinichi's eyes snapped open as he turned to look at the time. It was 7:15.

"Crap," whispered Shinichi as he leaped out of bed and hurriedly threw on clothes. "Migi, I would _really _appreciate it if you wouldn't do that anymore."

"You needed more rest. I fail to see how getting it is bad," stated Migi.

"We've been over this. School is important," grunted Shinichi as he finished getting dressed and made a beeline for the bathroom.

"We've also been over the fact that human society is of no importance to me," said Migi matter-of-factly as he avoided the water coming off Shinichi's toothbrush.

"Touché," said Shinichi once he had finished brushing his teeth.

"_Shinichi!"_ yelled Kazuyuki.

Shinichi flew downstairs and grabbed his bento off the kitchen counter.

"Bye," said Shinichi, wasting no time waiting for a reply.

* * *

School had been boring and uneventful. Shinichi had stopped truly caring about grades after the incident with his mom, but he knew he had to keep them up. At that moment, however, Shinichi was ready for his first day at cram school.

_It should be interesting, _thought Shinichi as he headed for the nearest door.

Shinichi reached said door and quickly unlocked it to behold a most unusual sight. He stepped into a dominantly red hall with other colors in between. The whole thing looked like a stained-glass window.

He heard footsteps and turned around to see a girl with purple hair and two long ponytails briskly striding down the hallway. Her most defining feature, however, were her eyebrows. They were small and thick.

"Never seen you before," she said curtly as she passed by him without stopping.

Shinichi said nothing. He followed the girl, having no idea where he was supposed to go.

She stopped in front of an insignificant-looking door and walked in, Shinichi right behind her.

Everyone else in the room looked up, including the teacher, who looked to be about his age. There weren't many people attending cram school; there were only eight or so.

"Ah, you must be the new student Mephisto informed me of. I will be teaching your first class. I'm Okumura Yukio," he said.

"I'm Izumi Shinichi," said Shinichi, only wanting to sit down and not draw attention to himself.

One boy stood up and looked like he was about to speak before Yukio cut him off. "You can introduce yourself later if you want, but not now."

He sat down with a disappointed look. Shinichi didn't want to unnecessarily dampen his spirits so he sat down on the opposite end of the boy's table.

"Hi," the boy whispered. "I'm Okumura Rin."

"Are you related to the teacher?" asked Shinichi, who had immediately noticed that they had the same last name. Anyone would.

"He's my twin," Rin replied nonchalantly.

Shinichi was mildly surprised, but he figured it made sense.

Rin was about to say something else before Shinichi made a slight "hush" gesture with his hand. He was genuinely interested in what the lecture might be about.

As Yukio began the lesson, it hit Shinichi like a truck that he wasn't dealing with Parasites. He was dealing with actual demons. Though just a tad disappointed that True Cross didn't actually have a Parasite team, he quickly realized just how dangerous demons were and still wanted to be a part of cram school.

_This is what separates humans and monsters, _thought Shinichi. _I'm going to help humans in any way I can. Even if I might get hurt in the process. _

"Izumi?" said Yukio, snapping Shinichi out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah?" said Shinichi, sitting up straight in his seat.

"Are you paying attention?"

"Yes."

Yukio raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. What should you do if the demon you summoned tries to attack you?"

"Break the circle in whatever way you can."

Yukio softly grunted and turned back to the board. A little bit later, he turned around. "Izumi, do you have a Mashou? I almost forgot to check."

"What's a Mashou?" asked Izumi, ignoring the incredulous looks a few students were giving him.

"It's a wound inflicted by a demon. You have to have one in order to see demons and be an exorcist. Do you have one?" repeated Yukio.

"No, I don't," said Shinichi.

Yukio simply nodded and summoned a low level demon called a "hobgoblin." It looked rather like a monkey that had gotten into paint. Yukio brought the demon up to Shinichi and let one little claw slide against his arm.

"Now that that's out of the way, shall we continue?" asked the Okumura twin.

For the rest of the lesson, Shinichi made sure not to let himself slip into his thoughts. He had developed a habit of doing that at school due to his constant worrying about Migi and whatever predicament he happened to be in. Yukio's lecture was apparently a preparatory lesson for something they were going to be doing the next day. After Yukio let them go, Shinichi got up to leave but was stopped by Rin.

"You know that guy?" he said, jabbing his thumb towards a very fit individual with a blond stripe in the middle of his brown hair. He also had numerous piercings on his ears.

"I don't _know _him, but I know who you're pointing to."

"Whatever. He's a jerk."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Shinichi walked out. The second he did, Migi started talking.

"There's something off about Okumura Rin," he said.

"Don't tell me he's a Parasite!" said Shinichi, fully prepared to go back in there and kill Rin.

"No, he's not a Parasite. Honestly, I don't know what it is. He sends out signals I can detect but they are not signals from one of my kind."

"Do you think he's like Kana?"

"Possibly. It would certainly explain the non-Parasitic waves, but even Kana sent out the signals of a Parasite."

"He didn't seem to have any kind of reaction to me," speculated Shinichi. "Maybe it was because you were asleep?"

"Even when in that state of sleep, I still give off a weak signal. He would have been able to sense me at such a close distance."

"Who are you talking to?" asked an unfamiliar voice. Shinichi heard approaching footsteps.

"I was just talking on my phone. What did you hear?" asked Shinichi, keeping the subtle panic out of his voice. The ability to stay calm at any time was certainly useful, but he still hated it because it wasn't a natural human feature.

"Only something about someone being asleep," he replied, reaching Shinichi. He had pink hair, but it suited him, oddly enough. He had a lopsided smile on his face. "Why, are you hiding something?"

"No, I was just curious," said Shinichi. "The name's Izumi Shinichi."

"So I've heard," he replied. "I'm Renzou Shima."

Shinichi nodded and headed towards the nearest door.

_Just what is up with Rin?_ thought Shinichi.


	4. Lies

**Hey guys, sorry about the late update. I ended up being unnecessarily lazy over spring break. Anyway, shinshinjane, the last episode of Parasyte continues to elude me because the video won't work, but I read the manga so I know what happens. I guess the ending could be different from the manga, but I doubt it since the anime series was exceptionally close to the manga.**

**As for the term 'Nii-san' I am not entirely sure I am spelling that correctly so please do correct me if I am mistaken. **

**Onwards!**

* * *

4

Lies

After about a week, everything fell into a routine for Shinichi. Get up, go to school, and lie to his father about never coming home on time. Shinichi supposed that all the lying he was doing should bother him, but it truly did not. It was just another thing that Shinichi hated about himself.

_"Shinichi, where are you? I asked you to come home right after school today," _said the voicemail Shinichi had gotten during cram school.

At that point, Shinichi was running out of lies to tell Kazuyuki. He couldn't lie forever, but at the same time he couldn't tell him the truth. To say it was frustrating was an understatement. He didn't bother texting or calling Kazuyuki; he would get yelled at either way.

"Hey, wait up!" yelled Rin.

Shinichi looked behind him to see Rin running towards him. He was trying and failing to keep all of his books and papers off the floor.

Shinichi stared at him in mild amusement before stepping in. "Stop, stop. Let me help you with that. I may not know my way around organization very well, but I can keep my bag from vomiting work."

_Why am I doing this? _thought Shinichi as he bent down to pick up some papers, catching a grateful look from Rin. _I don't even know him, and Migi said something was off._

"Nii-san!" called Yukio from a doorway down the hall.

"I'm going to Izumi's place!" Rin yelled back. "He's helping me organize and study!"

"Oh, really? Is this true Izumi?" asked Yukio.

Rin desperately gestured for Shinichi to say yes.

"I did not sign up for this," Shinichi hissed.

"Please," whispered Rin back, putting on a puppy-dog face.

"Fine," said Shinichi. "Yeah, he's coming to my place. He could seriously benefit from some extra studying."

"Okay. Oh, and Rin? Don't slack off!" said Yukio sharply as footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls.

"Boy, you really saved me a lecture there! I owe you one," said Rin, visibly relaxing.

"Well, I guess you're actually coming to my house. Hopefully my dad won't yell at me for having unexpected company. It would be nice if his work hours didn't allow him to be home when I'm supposed to get home from school," said Shinichi, motioning for Rin to follow him.

"Does he not know about cram school?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"You don't have some kind of priest or temple background?"

"Nope."

"I hope I don't have to talk to your dad too much. I've lived in a monastery my whole life."

Shinichi found no point in saying anything as the pair continued walking. About halfway to his house, his dad called again.

"I should take this," he said, picking up his phone. "Hi, Dad. Yes, I'm fine. I know I'm late, I missed my bus. I'm almost home. I just got off the bus at that station near where Miss Satou lives. You know, that former client of yours? Yeah, I'll be home soon. Oh yeah, I'm bringing someone over for study help. Don't _scoff_ at that! Whatever. Bye."

"Is he mad about me coming over?"

"A little, but he's willing to be civil about it since it's about studying."

"Shinichi," whispered Migi. "There's a Parasite nearby."

Shinichi inwardly groaned as he looked over at Rin.

"How do I get rid of him?" he said quietly.

"You don't. It would be wise not to pick a fight when there is no need for one. Don't be so eager," said Migi. "That eagerness could get us killed."

Normally, Shinichi wouldn't have listened at all. However, he did have Rin to worry about, so he let it slide.

"We're here," said Shinichi, stopping in front of the gate. "Don't do anything that'll make my dad dislike you."

"No guarantees," replied Rin. "People just naturally dislike me."

Shinichi mentally rolled his eyes as he opened the door. Unsurprisingly, his dad was waiting with an…_expression_.

"Er, hi," said Shinichi, refusing to make eye contact. He just knew the hairiest of eyeballs was coming his way.

"Come on," he whispered to Rin, leading his upstairs.

"Whew," breathed Rin with relief as soon as they had entered Shinichi's room. "Your dad can sure give someone the chills."

"Dump everything in your bag on the floor," ordered Shinichi.

"You're actually going to make me organize stuff?"

"It's better to be productive."

"Huh?"

Shinichi watched passively as his room slowly filled up with old, failed papers.

"We have quite an evening ahead of us," remarked Shinichi.

Rin simply groaned.

* * *

"Okumura, how many times are you going to fall asleep? Surely you don't get _that_ little sleep on a regular basis," said Shinichi, having long ago become irritated with Rin's time-wasting habits.

"I'm not asleep," said Rin, sitting up and yawning.

"Well, your stuff is organized. It's a good thing I know how to get things done. Shall we move on to studying?" asked Shinichi.

"Right now?" Rin whined.

"When else? You're failing," said Shinichi.

Rin opened his mouth to protest but shut it at the realization that he had no good argument to that. It was painfully true that he was failing. He slumped down in front of Shinichi's computer in resignation. He turned it on to find some tutoring website Yukio had once told him about.

"Parasites? Mincemeat murders? What is this?" asked Rin as he stared at Shinichi's computer screen.

Shinichi snapped his head around and slammed his finger down on the power button. "Nothing at all."

"Hey, that wasn't nothing. Why were you looking up the mincemeat murders? Those ended long ago, didn't they? What did you want with that information?"

"I haven't used that computer in forever. Besides, I was thinking about going on to be a policeman or something of the sort before I decided to become an exorcist."

"Hmm."

"Your book is over there. What exactly is it you don't understand about the material?"

"Why are you helping _me _study? Last time I heard, your grades weren't wonderful."

"Maybe, but I don't get single digit grades on tests. Plus, I _did_ get into True Cross on a scholarship. They aren't as bad as rumors say."

"Whatever. I don't really understand anything."

"Well, at least that's somewhere. Let's just start from the beginning…"

* * *

Kazuyuki let them have their peace for a little while. They _were_ studying, and that was something Shinichi needed to do more.

_Honestly, I just don't get it. I don't know what made him change so much. He used to be…so much happier. Now it's like he's completely devoid of emotion. It's like someone took them, locked them in a vault, and threw away the key. When did he become so strong?_

He sighed, looking out the window at the starry sky.

_Nobuko loved stargazing. _


	5. To Summon a Demon

**Happy belated Easter everybody!**

**Sorry if Migi's meter distances seem out of proportion. I'm American. I don't have a very good sense of distance at all, never mind the metric system. **

**I will try to make chapters longer, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.**

**Also, I didn't mention this before but I probably should. I have not read the manga yet so I am going off the anime.**

* * *

5

To Summon a Demon

"Shinichi," said Migi in the middle of Yukio's lesson. "There's a Parasite 100 meters away."

"It's in the building?" asked Shinichi, already prepared to ask Yukio to be excused.

"It would seem that way. It's probably a student in the regular high school staying after hours," said Migi. "Do you want to fight or not? You always seem to be itching for one."

"Of course I want to fight," said Shinichi.

"Izumi, stop mumbling to yourself and pay attention!" said Yukio. "If you don't want to be here, then just leave."

Shinichi stood up, grabbed his bag, and left without a sound.

"I can't believe he actually left," said Bon with wide eyes.

* * *

Shinichi ran down the hallway at top speed, following Migi's directions when given. Once Migi was down to single digits, he was stopped in front of the school's library.

"You've never actually been in here, have you? You should come more often. There might be valuable resources for me in here," said Migi.

"Later, Migi. How far away is the Parasite?" asked Shinichi hurriedly.

"Three meters," replied Migi. "It's the one on the left."

They were in front of a large round table with computers on both sides. There was a girl with short brown hair on one side and a girl with long black hair in a ponytail on the other. The latter was on the left. She seemed not to notice Migi's presence, bur Shinichi knew better. She was just acting the part. Both girls were wearing headphones, leaving Shinichi and Migi to freedom of speech as long as it was quiet.

"How do we get her alone?" asked Shinichi.

"Without arousing suspicion? That might be difficult," replied Migi. "Perhaps we should wait until the human leaves. Unless of course you would rather take action now, but I would have to kill her."

"I'll wait," said Shinichi quickly as he disappeared behind a bookshelf. "Hopefully it won't try to get her alone so it can eat her."

"Whatever her intentions are, we must wait. It is pointless to fret about it," said Migi. "In any case, I still think we should check out what her intentions are."

"She's a threat to humanity right now," said Shinichi. "She could be targeting students and eating them."

"You already know that you should not hold me to human morals. Besides, my kind is simply eating," said Migi.

They waited about half an hour before the girl finally packed up and left. The second she did, Shinichi jumped into action.

"Shinichi! Don't act irrationally!" said Migi.

"Do you wish to attack me?" asked the Parasite in a monotone. "Very well. You may pose a threat to me anyway. Better to take you out now."

Migi formed blades without hesitation. Not a second later, Migi was going defensive.

"It's posing a bit of a problem. Take offensive," said Migi before falling silent to focus on the task at hand.

Shinichi grunted in response and grabbed the chair next to him. It was the nearest object that could even remotely function as an effective weapon. That kind of strategy was what often allowed Shinichi and Migi to be victorious. Other Parasites treated Shinichi as if he wasn't there. In their eyes he was just a useless human.

Naturally, the Parasite didn't register Shinichi's approach until she was crumpled on the ground in the middle of a pool of splinters. Migi quickly finished her off.

"We don't usually have to move the body…" said Shinichi, having no idea what to do with it.

"No, but we cannot just leave her here. Take her outside and hide her somewhere," said Migi, reverting back into a normal hand.

Shinichi sighed and picked her up. It was going to be difficult to take her outside without being seen by a teacher. Even if it was after hours for students, it was not for teachers.

Surprisingly enough, luck went Shinichi's way and he got her outside without any trouble. He wrapped her in a discarded garbage bag and threw her into one of the school's dumpsters. Without looking back, Shinichi walked off home.

* * *

"Izumi," said Yukio simply as Shinichi came into the classroom the next day.

"Mr. Okumura," replied Shinichi blandly, sitting down in his usual spot beside Rin.

Yukio looked like he was about to say more but held his tongue. Shinichi was dimly aware of the other students staring at him (minus the weird puppet guy and the shady guy in the black hoodie), but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I have been told by Mephisto," said Yukio, turning to the class, "that a new type of demon has appeared around this area recently."

Without thinking, Shinichi sat up instantly. Yukio certainly had his attention. The others seemed to have snapped awake as well.

"From what I was told, they are humanoid. They look exactly like humans," said Yukio, giving Rin an unreadable expression. "Nothing else is really known about them. Keep your eyes peeled in the streets for any abnormalities you may see. Now that that's out of the way, let's start the lesson, shall we?"

_Humanoid, huh? _thought Shinichi. _They are undoubtedly Parasites. I thought they were everywhere to begin with. Even America had an…_infestation. _Why would they only be showing up on the other side of Tokyo now? The police aren't good enough to keep it completely covered, especially to these exorcists._

"Today, we will be summoning demons," said Yukio. "I am not a skilled Tamer myself, which is why Professor Neuhaus will be taking over for today. If you have the ability to summon a familiar, you are strongly recommended to apply for Tamer once the time to choose your Meister comes. From there, Professor Neuhaus will train you in a separate class so not to waste time for students who are not able to summon a familiar. Just bear in mind that not everyone can summon one, and it takes great natural aptitude to do so. Without further ado, I will hand you over to the professor."

Shinichi knew the name Neuhaus from when he had first encountered exorcists. He briefly wondered if Neuhaus would recognize him, but he reminded himself that no one had seen him that day. That was how it should be.

The man walked into the room looking extremely worn out as Yukio took his leave. Shinichi let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding as the man's gaze swept over the room without a spark of recognition at the sight of him.

"Move all these tables and chairs to the side. We need room," he said as he started moving a table. Everyone complied and the job was done quickly.

"Alright, everyone come here and get a summoning paper," Neuhaus said, pulling a stack of papers with a strange circle printed onto them. There was a bag of needles attached. "Just say whatever words come to mind. If the demon tries to attack you, tear the paper. I believe Mr. Okumura has already told you that. Even if your summoning circle is not paper, just break the circle in any way you can. To actually summon a demon, you must give some blood. Use these needles to prick your finger and draw a drop or two on the paper. Now then, let's begin. Each of you will attempt to summon a demon individually so I can evaluate what talent you may have. Let us begin. Who wants to go first?"

Everyone nodded simultaneously and looked around for the first volunteer.

"I'll do it," Izumo sniffed, stepping into the empty floor space in the middle of the room.

She stood with paper in hand for a few moments before pricking her finger and beginning to speak. "I humbly call the gods of harvest. Follow my wishes, and leave none unfulfilled!"

It seemed like utter nonsense to Shinichi but after being at cram school, he knew better. The whole class watched in awe as two dazzlingly white wolves appeared in front of her.

"Well done, Miss Izumo," said Neuhaus.

Looking more smug than ever, Izumo stood at the side with the new arrivals. Next, a blond girl in a kimono stepped forward. Shinichi had never really taken notice of her because of her shy nature. She began to speak as well. Soon, a tiny green demon appeared in front of her.

"He's so cute," she breathed. "May I call you Nii-chan?"

The demon squealed in response.

"Good work, Miss Moriyama. It seems we have several candidates for the Tamer Meister this year. Next volunteer, please step up," said Neuhaus, looking around the room.

Everyone else tried except for Rin and the two who never spoke in the back, all of them meeting with failure. Shinichi wasn't sure why those three flatly refused, especially Rin. He always seemed so eager about everything.

"What about you?" asked Neuhaus, swiveling his free eye over to Shinichi. "You haven't said a word about this."

Figuring there was no harm in trying, Shinichi stepped forwards. He probably couldn't do it anyway. Like his predecessors, he stopped for a moment before saying anything. He made a point to prick a finger on his left hand.

"May the power in you come to my aid," he said. It was simple, but it might get the job done.

There was a blinding flash of light like no summoning before him. In front of Shinichi, there stood a massive demon. It was a hazel color with four arms protruding from its body. Its hair was long and unkempt with bangs covering its eyes, coming down halfway down its back. Two small horns poked out from under the unruly hair on its forehead. Other than those details, it resembled a human.

Everyone stared for what seemed like an eternity before Neuhaus spoke up. "That is quite a demon. It's very a very high level."

Shinichi had no words himself.

"Your heart is wounded, yet clamped shut in steel. Interesting," said the demon in a raspy voice. It then looked at Shinichi's right hand thoughtfully. "So that's why..."

"You should _not _be able to summon a demon of that level," said Izumo, casting a small glare Shinichi's way. "It should be _attacking_ you right now."

The room fell silent again as everyone stared at the demon.

"Well, I have to say I respect your partner considerably more than you," said the demon, looking at Migi again. "What an interesting species."

Shinichi ripped the paper.


	6. Isolation

**Hello again! I apologize for mistakes in the last chapter. I forgot to have my sister proofread it like she usually does. Much of the time, she ends up doing that after I've posted it so any mistakes in this or future chapters may stem from that. Anyway, thank you for any reviews.**

**RyuNoRainbow, that's a cool idea but the fact that Gotou is not an actual demon prevents me from using that. **

**Did I put a disclaimer in here? I do not own Blue Exorcist or Parasyte: The Maxim.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

6

Isolation

After the incident with the powerful demon, Shinichi immediately went home and talked to Migi about it.

"Was all that back there because of you?" asked Shinichi, sighing as he plopped down on his bed.

"It said that it has more respect for me than you. I doubt you played no part at all, but I have concluded that it was mostly me. As it said, you have many things you worry about or doubt, and your teacher mentioned that that's what demons go after. However, you have undergone much psychological change since I first met you," said Migi.

"How much suspicion do you think that caused?" asked Shinichi.

"Enough that I think you should drop this exorcist business. It wasn't in your field to begin with. Parasites are what you are experienced with and good at, with my help of course," said Migi, deciding on a book and taking it to Shinichi's desk.

"I thought you said you didn't like killing your own kind without a good reason?" said Shinichi, raising an eyebrow.

"I do not. Perhaps it falls under the category of 'the right to live' or some of that moral nonsense. Or, and more likely, it as to do with that they are my kind and I personally do not have much of a problem with humans getting eaten. It's the fact that they are not discreet enough to keep society unaware that keeps me going after them. That in itself is a threat to me, however indirect it may be," replied Migi.

"I don't think I should drop cram school."

"Why not? It hasn't done anything for you but add on to your workload."

"Humanity must be protected."

"Really, Shinichi, how many times must I tell you not to hold me accountable for anything with human virtues or morals?"

"I'm not asking you to participate. This is strictly my choice. You may be my hand, but we are very different living things."

"Still, what an inconvenience it will be should a Parasite show up. Besides, there are plenty of exorcists. They have done just fine without you for as long as they've existed."

"Migi, I'm not going to back down on this. I will continue to attend cram school whether you like it or not. Sleep through it or something."

"I suppose I cannot stop you."

"No, you can't."

Migi said nothing more as he began writing something down about the book he was reading. Shinichi hadn't caught the title, but he didn't care enough to ask as he reached for his phone with his left hand.

"I missed a call from Murano," said Shinichi to himself.

"Then call her back," said Migi without looking up.

Shinichi nearly rolled his eyes as he tapped the call button. It rang a few times before she picked up.

_"Hello?" _

"Hey, Murano. Sorry I missed your call."

_"Oh, hello Izumi. What were you doing when I called?"_

"Just some household chores. Dad says I've been slacking off lately."

_"You? Slacking off? Aren't you Mr. Get Things Done?"_

"Maybe a bit, but that doesn't mean I can't be lazy every once in a while. I'm a teenager, Murano. Surely you understand this sort of thing."

Murano laughed a bit on the other end. _"Yes, I do." _

"Anyway, did you call me for a particular reason earlier?"

_"No, I just missed my Izumi. It's been awfully lonely without you here. I hope you're not skipping school as much as you did when you lived here."_

"I've stopped that for the most part. But, Murano…have there been any attacks on the school since I left?"

_"Thank God there hasn't. There haven't been any attacks in about a month. There's still some noticeable tension, but other than that, everything has started going back to normal."_

"Glad to hear. Listen, I need to go. I'll call you soon, okay?"

_"Alright. Bye."_

"Bye, Murano."

Shinichi put down his phone and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to explain that demon.

* * *

The next day after regular school was over, Shinichi headed over to his usual door to get to cram school. There was no one in the hallway, much to Shinichi's relief. To him, it was another few minutes he didn't have to explain the demon. The second he walked through the door, everyone stared at him. All of the students were clumped together in the middle of the room, excluding those two, but Shinichi didn't really acknowledge their existence at that point. No one had bothered to move back the chairs and tables from the previous day.

Shinichi spoke before anyone else could. "We'd better move back the tables before Mr. Okumura arrives."

There was a murmur of agreement as everyone set to work. Shinichi silently prayed it would take long enough that they didn't have time to ask questions before the teacher came. Fortunately for Shinichi, that was the case. He hoped Yukio wouldn't ask him any questions either.

* * *

Rin had gotten to cram school on time for once. He had done in case Shinichi was there already. All of them had been curious of the boy after the incident the day before.

"Where is he? He's going to be late if he doesn't get here soon," said Bon, glaring at the wall.

"That may very well be the point," added Konekomaru. "He probably doesn't want that topic brought up."

"I don't care whether he wants to talk about it or not. I want answers. Who is this partner of his? What did that demon mean by anything?" said Izumo, being as irritable as ever.

"He can't avoid us forever. He'll have to explain eventually," Rin said.

"True," said Konekomaru. "But we all still want to know what the heck happened."

"I do too. However—" started Shima before he was cut off by Shinichi entered the room.

Rin looked over at Izumo, who looked ready to tackle him to the ground and demand answers. Before anyone had time to say anything, Shinichi said, "We'd better move back the tables before Mr. Okumura arrives."

Everyone quietly agreed and started to move tables and chairs in dead silence. Izumo's eagerness seemed to have gone. Once the furniture was in place, no one said anything as Yukio walked in. He looked genuinely surprised to see everything in order and everyone sitting down ready to go.

"Well," he started. "Good morning. I trust you all had a good lesson yesterday?"

Everyone looked at each other except Shinichi, who was avoiding eye contact with anyone. It was clear that Professor Neuhaus had not disclosed any information of the previous day.

"Yeah, it was fine," said Shinichi. "Did Professor Neuhaus say anything specific about yesterday's lesson?"

"He didn't tell me anything except that Miss Moriyama and Miss Izumo could summon demons. Why? Did something happen I should know about?" asked Yukio.

"Did something happen!" exclaimed Shima. He was about to continue before he was silenced with a glare of the gods given by Shinichi.

"Oh, nothing much. Shima is just amazed that Izumo was not only able to summon one demon, but _two_," said Rin.

Shinichi gave Rin a look that was almost grateful. It seemed to Rin like was looking into his eyes for the first time. Rin wasn't sure what, but there was something disturbing about the dark brown irises of the student next to him. It seemed almost…_inhuman. _Rin found himself briefly wondering if he was a demon, but quickly dismissed it. If Shinichi was a demon, Rin would have known about it. He could sense demons after all.

Seeming to notice Rin's discomfort, Shinichi turned towards the front and started taking notes.

Before long, Shinichi had dropped his diligent note taking and was absentmindedly doodling demons and eyes. It seemed rather an odd thing to doodle in Rin's opinion, but he took into the account the fact that this kid was strange even in a school for exorcists.

"Rin, what kind of demon inhabits a dead body?" asked Yukio.

"Er…" said Rin.

"You weren't paying attention. How unusual," said Yukio sarcastically. "Perhaps Izumi would like the answer it instead?"

"Ghoul," Shinichi replied instantly.

Both Rin and Yukio were a bit startled by the quick answer that seemed to hold a certain amount of resentment, even if the hint was subtle.

"Correct," said Yukio, quickly composing himself and taking on his usual official demeanor.

No one else seemed to have noticed the bitterness in Shinichi's voice. Deciding to ignore it, Rin went to sleep like her normally did.

* * *

At least Shinichi had gotten the question right. Ghouls were a bit of sore spot for him. It wasn't as if Shinichi had ever met a Ghoul. They just sounded too much like Parasites for his comfort, even if he knew they were completely different things.

The rest of the class went on uneventfully. Shinichi watched the clock, waiting for when he could speak with Migi. Of course he would never admit that he enjoyed talking to the Parasite, but he did actually like it. The second the bell rang, Shinichi was out of his seat.

"You were impatient to get out of there," remarked Migi on Shinichi's way home. "Have you some errand?"

"No," said Shinichi.

"Did you not say you wanted to stay in cram school?" asked Migi.

"I still want to stay, Migi. You won't change my mind," said Shinichi, the smallest hint of annoyance creeping into his tone.

"I know. Now listen, I have something important to tell you," said Migi.

"What would that be?" asked Shinichi.

"Murano told you that there have been no attacks on your old school, correct?"

"Yes."

"I have sensed more Parasites around here than when we arrived. I imagine many of the Parasites in your former area moved with you. You are quite the interesting subject to them."

"Why is that?"

"Before, they considered you the useless human I was coexisting with. After I had to fix your heart, you changed a great deal. Do you remember what Tamiya Ryoko said? She said that you were 'no longer pure,' and that was before that incident. Therefore, wherever you go, Parasites are bound to follow you."

"I'm a Parasite magnet?"

"It appears so. I have to ask you to go about living your life with caution. I don't care to fight more than I can handle."

Shinichi simply nodded and continued on his way. His mind was not at rest. If he was the cause of an increase in Parasites, he knew what he had to do. He already knew that he had become more distant ever since the death of his mother, but now more than ever he could not afford to make friends. He would have to build up a wall and shut people out.

He needed to isolate himself.


	7. Running with Demons

**Lucky for you, I just watched some Parasyte and I thought, "Why not update?" Anyway, I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

**By the way, I know the timelines are a little weird, but I didn't mess with anything major.**

* * *

7

Running with Demons

Rin, like everyone else, had noticed Shinichi's walls suddenly go up. Shinichi had been rather withdrawn before, but he came in the next day refusing to even say anything. Like Rin was sure he expected, he got bombarded with questions or statements about the demon he had summoned. Shinichi had said nothing, simply sitting in his usual spot.

"Alright, you all remember that Tamer lesson Professor Neuhaus gave yesterday?" asked Yukio once everyone was seated.

"Of course! Izumi only—" started Bon before Shinichi gave him the same glare that Shima had received. He instantly shut his mouth.

"Woah!" whispered Rin. "You got Bon to shut up!"

"What about Izumi?" asked Yukio.

"I did something stupid while Izumo was summoning her demons," said Shinichi, still not meeting any eyes.

"What did you do?" Yukio asked calmly.

"I, er…I had a cut and I almost got my blood on her paper," said Shinichi.

"Yes, I suppose that might mess something up. I've never seen an instance like that. Perhaps I should research further and see if that would in fact cause a bad reaction," replied Yukio thoughtfully. "Anyway, you will be choosing Meisters today. Forms are on my desk. Choose wisely. You can apply for up to three Meisters. If you have questions, I'll be grading papers."

Bon stood up quickly enough to get weird looks as he made his way to the front of the room. Everyone else followed. Rin let Shinichi have his space as he went over to sit with Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru.

"Hey guys," said Rin, sitting down and quickly making himself comfortable.

"Who said _you _could sit here?" snarled Bon.

"Relax, Bon. Let the man sit with us just this once," Konekomaru chimed in.

"So…" said Rin. "What's a Meister?"

Shima and Konekomaru looked at each other, having a silent conversation while Bon gave Rin an indescribable look.

"You don't even know what a Meister is?" asked Bon, his voice rising an octave.

Konekomaru softly laughed. "You really don't know anything, Okumura. Let me give you the gist of it. There are five Meisters: Aria, Tamer, Dragoon, Knight, and Doctor. Arias recite verses; each demon has a fatal verse. Tamers summon demons and command them to fight for them. Dragoons use guns and Knights use swords. Doctors are the healers."

"I would think you would go for Knight since you're always carrying that sword around," commented Shima.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Koneko!" said a very cheerful Rin, who had already begun filling out the form.

"I wonder what Izumi is applying for," said Konekomaru.

"Who cares?" said Bon, irritation creeping into his voice.

* * *

Shinichi was glad Rin was so clueless. He had no idea what a Meister was either, but Konekomaru had given a good explanation that he was able to overhear.

"Migi, are you awake?" muttered Shinichi.

"Yes. What is it?" said Migi.

"Which Meister sounds the most useful?" asked Shinichi.

"Why are you asking me? I was against cram school, and I don't intend to participate," said Migi, starting to shrink back into Shinichi's shirt.

"I'm not asking about demons, I'm asking for Parasites. You know this exorcist stuff is a good back up defense."

"That's true I suppose. For Parasites, you have three options: Knight, Dragoon, or Tamer. Tamer would be the worst option because it mostly came for me. So, which do you prefer? Knight or Dragoon?"

"I could take both."

"It's best to take one. You don't want more than one extra class. Cram school takes up a lot of time as it is, and more than one leaves you with even less freedom if a Parasite comes."

"Good point. A sword might be better since I don't have to worry about ammunition."

"Then take it. I'm starting my four hours soon, so avoid fights."

"Why are you always muttering to yourself?" Bon said loudly from his table, giving him a small glare. "It's weird."

"Why are you getting irritated? It's not affecting you. It's a habit," replied Shinichi, not even looking up from his form.

Whatever else Bon might have said, Shinichi ignored it and continued filling out his form. As soon as he was done, he handed it to Yukio.

"Knight, huh? Rin is doing that," said Yukio, skimming the form.

"Is he?" said Shinichi before he walked back to his seat.

* * *

Shinichi came to training just in time to hear Rin and Bon arguing. Not that that was unusual. He wasn't sure what it was about, but he thought he heard mention of "kicking Satan."

"What are you doing here? You don't do anything!" yelled Bon.

Before Rin could protest, the teacher walked in and went to his raised island in the middle of the track. He explained that they were to run from the demon on the leash to simulate a real life situation. He added that the particular demon being used showed one his worst memories if eye contact was made, immobilizing the victim and making him easy prey.

He put everyone in groups of two. Since there was an odd number, he was told to go with Bon and Rin. Shinichi marveled at how the teacher managed to pick the worst possible pair.

"Izumo and Moriyama!" the teacher shouted, signaling the start of the exercise.

Shinichi ignored the duo and thought about when he had to go. Obviously, he would have to control his speed. At least he didn't have to control it as much since most of the people there were very fit, unlike at his old high school. What also made it easier was the fact that he had no record for this school. He didn't have to worry about people noticing the sudden and drastic increase in his speed.

"Izumi, Suguro, and Okumura!" yelled the teacher.

Shinichi knew he really ought to stop getting lost in his thoughts like that. He went forward with Bon and Rin as the teacher let loose the demons.

Bon and Rin both shot off like a rocket, Shinichi keeping pace without breaking a sweat, but he knew that wouldn't last long. It wasn't like he had an abundance of stamina.

You're gonna lose, Okumura!" yelled Bon.

Shinichi kept running at the same pace. He really didn't want to be in the middle of such an argument but he supposed he would just have to deal with it. He passed the pair soon afterwards when they ran less and bickered more. The demon was almost upon them when the teacher jerked back the chain.

"What are you idiots doing?" he yelled. "This is a training exercise, not a race! As for Izumi, that was a good, focused run. Keep up the good work!"

They went up to hear Izumo bragging to her friend Paku about how much better she was than Moriyama.

Someone's phone rang and the room went dead silent.

"What immaturity! Who brought a phone—" Bon began before the teacher picked up.

The class stared as the teacher had a conversation with "Kitty Cat." He hung up after a few moments, saying, "I have something very important to attend to. None of you are to go down on the track. You understand? Good. I'm coming Kitty Cat!"

The second he was out the door, Bon started going off at Rin.

"Okumura! Let's see who has more willpower. Both of us will go down there and stare straight into the demon's eyes."

"No way. That's a stupid idea."

"You're just a coward!"

"I'm not a coward. It's just a stupid idea. Do you want to get killed over spiting me?"

"Coward! I'll go down without you!"

There were some shouts of protest as Bon slid down the side of the track, landing in front of the demon. His eyes glazed over as he made eye contact with the demon. His face became increasingly angrier. The demon was about to leap on him before Rin and Shinichi slid down in unison. They stared at each other as they slid as it had been unplanned. Shinichi grabbed Bon and jerked him back, making brief eye contact with the demon. An image of his mother flashed before his eyes. He found his hand hovering over the scar on his chest as Rin jumped in front of the demon. Shinichi himself was amazed as Rin stared it dead in the eye and said, "Stop." The demon complied. It was then that the teacher walked in.

"Suguro, Izumi, may I have a word?" he said coldly as soon as he saw what was going on.

After getting a short lecture, Bon voiced what Shinichi had been thinking.

"Why isn't Okumura getting in trouble? He was part of this too."

"He's got _circumstances_," the teacher replied, casting a glance towards Rin. "It's best not to get involved with him."

"I bet he's some rich brat who paid his way in," muttered Bon darkly as the two of them headed towards the top of the track.

_"How unfortunate. You failed to take over the head and now you're under human control," said Shinichi's mom, or what used to be her. _

_ "Shinichi, she's not—!" yelled Migi._

"Izumi?"

Shinichi snapped out of his flashback and looked up to see Konekomaru looking down at him. He was slumped in a corner at the top of the track.

"You looked pained," he said, offering Shinichi a hand.

Shinichi didn't take it. "Sorry."

The class exited the room soon afterwards and Shinichi was able to go home and talk to Migi. Well, he could as soon as Migi was awake.

_Circumstances? _Shinichi pondered as he stood at the bus stop. _I guess there really is something weird about Rin. Not only that, people know about it. This could be dangerous._


	8. Weaponry

**Hey guys! Sorry about the severe lack of updates. I have tomorrow and almost the entirety of next week off from school so more updates are coming your way.**

**Again, thank you all for follows, favorites, and reviews. It's amazing to me when I get them.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

8

Weaponry

"Since you two are the only ones who chose Knight as your Meister, you will spar with each other every day before we pull you aside individually," said the Knight instructor, Miyazaki Hideyoshi.

Miyazaki was a man of about six feet. His hair was a messy brown mop on his head. His face was long and thin, and he had green eyes that had seen many horrors of the world.

"We haven't done anything with swords at all at this point," said Shinichi.

"I know. Today you will spar merely as a skill assessment. Later it will be for practice more than anything else," he replied.

"Where do I get a sword?" asked Shinichi.

"There are swords permitted for use in this class in the next room over," said Miyazaki. "You can pick whichever one suits you."

Shinichi nodded and headed over, Rin following.

"Aren't you just going to use that sword you carry around with you all the time?" asked Shinichi.

"No, it a…family heirloom," replied Rin, keeping his eyes forward.

"Is it?" asked Shinichi, clearly uninterested. He had been wondering how well he could use his left hand. Relying on his right hand for use of a sword would become problematic if facing a Parasite. Therefore, Shinichi had decided that he must use his left hand instead. Even if something happened to his left hand, Migi could instantly adapt to a sword, making in ultimately unnecessary for Shinichi to learn using his right hand.

Shinichi stopped in front of a set of large mahogany doors. They were reinforced with metal lining the frame and an electronic lock on the handles. "I don't suppose you know how to get in, Okumura?"

Rin nodded and quickly unlocked the door. Shinichi was expecting the doors to creak, or at least make some sort of noise. They were silent. It was like no one had ever even stepped foot into the hallway. Shinichi despised silence.

"Let's go in and choose something," he said, purposely breaking it.

Silence was death's tool.

The lights flickered on, revealing a vast collection of weaponry. It was a wide, circular room littered with cases, shelves, and tables. The walls were white and the floor gray. An ornate overhead chandelier with tiny crystals hanging off of it emitted a blue-looking glow over the room. Any kind of close combat weapon Shinichi could have imagined rested in that room. There were swords of varying origin, battle axes, maces, whips, you name it that room had it. The weapons each had a designated section. Rin must have noticed the awe that had crept into Shinichi's eyes and allowed an easy smile to place itself on his lips.

"They sure have a lot of weapons on hand, don't they?" he said, running his finger over the flat side of a superbly made katana.

"Yes," Shinichi replied simply, his brain still taking in the room. He slowly started walking around the room, inspecting every weapon.

"See something you like? Miyazaki didn't say this, but once you choose something from here, it's yours. It's not just a temporary training weapon," said Rin.

"What kind of blade would be the best for producing deep but precise cuts?" asked Shinichi. The heart or the head was a target for Parasites. Demons didn't seem like they were all that hard to wound, so his focus would be Parasites.

Rin thought it sounded like he had a specific target in mind, but decided to let it slip through the cracks. "Katanas are usually good for the sort of thing 'cause the blade is thinner. It might not go as deep though."

"Are they?" said Shinichi. "I guess I'll be getting a katana then. It would be preferable if it could make deep cuts in good time as well, but it can't be helped. Precision takes priority." He walked over to the section of katanas and looking them over. He picked up a katana. The sheath was red with black designs that looked like tentacles sprawled across it. _Tentacles. How fitting,_ Shinichi mused.

"That's Satsuriku*," said Rin. "Nobody will tell me exactly what its history is, but I do know that it's pretty dark."

"Why does the history of anything matter? What happened in the past is over and done with. There's nothing more to it. Swords don't have emotions. You weren't there. The history shouldn't matter," said Shinichi.

"Are you sure?" was all Rin said in reply. He had picked a katana with a gray sheath that depicted a storm. It was called Gale. Shinichi wasn't sure why the name of a sword with Japanese origin was in English, but he didn't care to look into it.

"Let's go, I'm sure Miyazaki is getting impatient," said Shinichi, exiting the room without looking back. He knew history mattered. So why couldn't he bring himself to believe it?

"Ah, you're back. What did you choose?" asked Miyazaki.

"I chose Gale," said Rin, holding out the sword for the instructor to see.

"Good choice. What did you choose, Izumi?" said Miyazaki, turning to face the teenager.

"Satsuriku," said Shinichi curtly, holding out the sword.

"Are you sure you want that one?" asked Miyazaki, a nervous expression coming to his face and vanishing as quickly as it came. "That one's got quite a history on it."

Shinichi proceeded to tell him that history didn't matter and there was no reason he shouldn't take the sword. Miyazaki sighed and set the two boys up for a mini duel.

"I can't have anyone getting killed on my watch, so fight with the scabbards on. Got it?" said Miyazaki, his hands resting on his hips.

"Yeah," both teenagers mumbled.

As Miyazaki blew the whistle signaling the start, Shinichi shot forward, making sure he was using his left hand. However, his hand was at an awkward angle and he ended up getting blocked easily by Rin. Shinichi wasn't surprised. It wasn't like he had any kind of prior training in swordsmanship. Rin didn't look like a master but he at least looked like he knew the basics to wielding a sword, especially a katana. Shinichi was used to defense or unobstructed offense, and that was without a weapon. He blocked a couple blows but was hit all the same.

Miyazaki stood watching, his eyes flitting back and forth, watching every movement and knowing the faults and successes like a true master of his craft.

It was then Shinichi's turn to attack. He tried holding the sword with both hands to start out and managed to get in one or two hits, but Rin blocked the rest. Then Rin hit a particularly hard blow on his arm.

_Oh crap. That was my right arm, _thought Shinichi, casting a nervous glance towards his hand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Migi was still asleep.

The battle continued on with Shinichi losing until Rin finally caught him at the neck.

"Good fight," Rin said kindly. "You're pretty okay."

"Pretty okay," said Shinichi. "What a compliment."

"Yeah, well I've had a little experience with a katana. I'm sure you'll learn quickly with practice!" Rin laughed, slinging an arm around the other boy's shoulder.

Miyazaki started slowly clapping. "Well done. But you weren't giving it all your speed, Izumi. Speed is important ina fight."

"I wasn't—" Shinichi began.

"You were. I would know. Anyway, good job both of you. You are dismissed," said Miyazaki, waving at the door with a limp arm. "If you're not out in five seconds I'll give you extra work."

That got both Rin and Shinichi out well under five seconds.

"Works every time," Miyazaki said, smirking.

* * *

*Satsuriku- Japanese for "carnage"

**Yeah, so another chapter! I'll probably update again tomorrow but no guarantees. I know this one was a little bit shorter than what I've been doing lately but whatever. The next one will be longer.  
**

**Until next time!**


	9. Worry

**Hey again! Sorry I'm so late. I wish I had a good excuse, but frankly I'm just lazy. Shinshinjane, I would never discontinue a story without letting my readers know. Even if I don't update for a few weeks, the story's still on unless otherwise posted.**

**As for this chapter, I don't remember when exwire exams are held and I can't be bothered to look it up.**

**IMPORTANT: I realized I forgot about Mashous. Those are kind of important. You don't have to go back and read because it doesn't change the plot but you can if you want to.**

**Another thing, also important, Shinichi mentions calling Migi 'it' at one point in this chapter. I know he never did that in the anime but in this story he did that to emphasize the fact for himself that Migi was a monster, or he was to Shinichi anyway.**

**Onwards! (sorry about the long AN)**

* * *

9

Worry

A few months had passed since Meister classes started and Miyazaki had progressed a lot with both Rin and Shinichi. Rin still had more experience, but Shinichi could hold his own at that point. The teen was currently sitting in Yukio's general class.

"Now that all of you have taken classes for your Meisters," said Yukio, "your exwire exams aren't so far off anymore. I will not repeat myself, so pay attention. In order to prepare for the exams, all of you will spend a week of study at the empty dorm building Rin and I share. There I will work with each of you so that you are prepared. You will come on the twenty-second, which is a couple weeks from now. Now that that's out of the way, let's begin the lesson."

Shinichi counted himself lucky that there had been almost no Parasite activity in the past month. The only instance was a small "restaurant" problem, which he had dealt with quickly. Mostly what was worrying him about Parasites was the fact that "restaurants" were becoming increasingly more common. It was something almost every Parasite to his knowledge participated in.

"Shinichi," Migi whispered.

"Parasite?" he replied.

"No, it's about this Okumura Rin. Remember when I said he gave off a weird Parasite wavelength?" he asked, not waiting for a reply. "It's been bothering me constantly. I still don't know what it is. Besides, there was that professor who said that he came with special circumstances. You've let down your guard around him. Is he your friend? I distinctly remember you saying that you must isolate yourself. Is that motivation enough for you to be wary?"

"I have noticed something about him. When someone tries to touch him, he looks _scared _for half a second before composing himself. He's obviously hiding something, I can tell that much. However, what I don't know if it's important to him but actually a rather trivial matter or if he is legitimately hiding something serious," mumbled Shinichi.

"He could be detrimental to us," said Migi, his voice staying flat as usual but his eye suggesting something darker.

"No, Migi," said Shinichi. "You know how strongly opposed I am to killing humans. What if what you're feeling is just another case of something like Kana? I mentioned that possibility before," said Shinichi, shifting his hand in an inconspicuous way so that his right hand was directly on his ear.

"It's not entirely out of the question but it's unlikely. Kana gave out the same signal a Parasite does, only weaker. This is a different signal," Migi replied.

"You're mumbling again," whispered Rin from the other side of the table.

Shinichi looked up to see the entire class staring at him like they were expecting something.

"Was there something you wanted to tell us, Izumi?" asked Yukio impatiently.

"Sorry, I was just mumbling to myself. It's a bad habit of mine," said Shinichi slightly sheepishly.

Yukio said nothing more as he continued with the lesson. "A team of exorcists must be extremely cooperative. A fight could lead to casualty. There are several ways of doing it, but the most effective formation is to have the Aria or Arias stand behind a circle of Dragoons. Knights form an outer circle that Healers and Tamers stand behind an outer circle of Dragoons. Can anyone tell me why this is extremely effective?"

Shinichi's now battle-wired brain came up with a solution quickly. He raised his hand, which Yukio seemed pleased by. "Izumi?"

"The Aria has the most protection because they can't do much while chanting. The circle of Dragoons can protect the Aria at close range and at the same time have a long distance weapon that can take down demons on the outside of the circle. Healers are at the ready in the most active area of the formation with access to the most people and Tamers can command their familiars from inside the circle so their familiars can focus more on taking down other demons and less on protecting their Tamers. Then the Knights are the front because of their close combat weapons. They ward off demons trying to break the formation and simultaneously act as the critical protection to the other exorcists."

"Well done," said Yukio, clearly impressed. "I have never seen anyone figure it out that quickly."

Shinichi simply nodded and listened to the rest of the lecture. It was focused on different formations and how crucial it was for teams to cooperate. It seemed like Yukio was trying to prepare them for something. Maybe it was just his imagination.

* * *

After class, Shinichi stayed behind for a moment.

"Mr. Okumura?" he asked.

"Yes?" Yukio replied, shutting his briefcase with a loud bang and standing up straight to look Shinichi in the eye.

"How far away is this empty dorm building from the school?" Shinichi asked, anxiety for his dad building up inside of him.

"Well, it _is _a _dorm. _It's not too terribly far, only about fifty meters. Why do you ask?" said Yukio, but Shinichi was already gone.

"Migi, how far away are we from home right now?" asked Shinichi.

No reply.

_I'll just ask him later. I guess he's sleeping, _thought Shinichi, suddenly stopping. _When did I stop referring to Migi as 'it?' He's a monster, isn't he? Yes. I'm just over thinking things. _

Shinichi continued walking, but he knew he was lying. Migi was not a monster. He was not entirely human anymore. No, maybe Migi wasn't a monster but he was wholly human. He had to be.

"Dad?" called Shinichi as he opened the door to his house about half an hour later. "I'm home!"

"Ah, Shinichi, I was wondering when you would get here," said Kazuyuki, materializing from the kitchen entryway. "Are you involving yourself in something dangerous?"

"What?" asked Shinichi, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Someone from True Cross stopped by today. His name is Professor Neuhaus," said Kazuyuki. "He asked me how you were adjusting to cram school. I thought, 'Shinichi isn't in any sort of tutoring.' I went to the principal, Mr. Faust. Do you know what he said? He said cram school is a school for exorcists. Why didn't I hear anything about this?"

"Listen, Dad, I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't approve but I really wanted to do this. I knew you wouldn't let me do it after…after _that,_" the teen replied, looking his father dead in the eye.

Kazuyuki looked away from his son. "I can't stop you now, but I want you to call in before you go to cram school every day so I know that you're safe. I…I'm not losing anyone else." He walked away.

Shinichi sighed and went upstairs. It would be a few hours yet before he could ask Migi how many meters it was between his father and the abandoned dorm building. He went to his computer to do some research.

Because nothing about Parasites had been released publicly, Shinichi had learned how to hack when Migi had read several books on it and he was becoming quite adept at it. He could successfully hack police or detective files without getting caught. He was hacking the files of a private detective named Kuramori Shiro.

Shinichi was quite surprised to find his own name under Kuramori's in-progress investigation.


	10. Preparation

**Because I've been bad about updating lately, I'm updating today when I wasn't planning on it to make it up to you guys. So, enjoy! **

**Onwards!**

* * *

10

Preparation

"Migi," said Shinichi, "are you awake yet?"

No reply. Again.

Shinichi had been sitting at his computer for over an hour, thinking about all the possibilities. Had Migi been discovered? If so, how had he not known about it? It wasn't as if Migi could separate from him for long. Furthermore, who was Kuramori's employer? Could the employer know about Migi? Nothing added up.

"_Now I'm scared to even open my mouth because there's something deep inside of me you don't know about, and I wish there was a way you could see, if I could show maybe I'd know if I'm a man or a beast. Just take one look in my eyes, you'd see right through my disguise…"_ Shinichi sighed, reaching for his cell phone. "Hello?"

_"Hey," _said the voice on the other end.

"Who is this?" asked Shinichi, getting up and sitting down on his bed. He felt a little glad that the phone call was giving him a small break from the whole situation with this Kuramori character.

The voice giggled. _"It's Kana! I called to tell you that I'm running away from home and coming to you!"_

"You're doing _what?_" said Shinichi, the slight feeling of relief instantly gone.

_"I'm coming to True Cross Academy! Besides, now you've cut ties with that Murano girl, right?" _asked Kana with a hopeful tone. Shinichi could hear the sound of shuffling feet and bags opening and closing on the other end.

"You can't run away! What about your family and friends? What about…uh, that Mitsuo guy?" Shinichi said quickly. He had thought everyone was finally safe when he had moved away. He had thought that Kana had moved on. Why was she so obsessed with him?

_"Mitsuo? You're worried about _Mitsuo?" asked Kana, laughing. _"I broke up with him long ago. You're the only one I need. Everyone will get along just fine without me. Anyway, I have to finish packing, so I'll see you once I get there!"_

The phone line went dead.

"Was that Kimishima Kana?" asked Migi, his eye right in Shinichi's face.

"Yes. She's apparently moving here," said Shinichi. "How am I going to avoid her?"

"Do you know where exactly she's moving?" asked Migi.

"No, but I don't think she knows exactly where Dad and I live. Hopefully she won't move in too close," Shinichi replied. "Anyway, there's something more important than Kana that I need to tell you about. I hacked the files of a private detective named Kuramori Shiro. Under his in-progress investigations was my name."

That immediately grabbed Migi's undivided attention. "Someone is investigating you? I see no reason for that in the eyes of someone who does not know of my existence."

"Maybe this person found out somehow?"

"Impossible. I would have known. Who is the employer?"

"I don't know. I couldn't get that information. The firewalls around it were big in number and all of them were very difficult to get past."

"Interesting."

The room fell to silence as Shinichi lay on his bed and thought about the case. Finally, he concluded that there was no point in what he was doing and started on his homework.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Shinichi was awfully paranoid. He subtly checked for anyone following constantly. He kept having to remind himself that he couldn't act differently than he had been or Kuramori would get suspicious. He seriously didn't need that. One question bothered him to no end: Just who was this employer?

Shinichi shook himself once again out of his thoughts and entered Yukio's classroom.

"Ah, you're here, Izumi. I'm assigning shared dorms to everyone right now for your week of preparation because it starts tomorrow. Do you have a preference who you share with? Two people will occupy a room," said Yukio.

"No, anyone is fine" said Shinichi.

"Take Shima!" yelled Bon. "Please!"

"Hey! My snoring isn't _that_ bad!" Shima retorted, glaring daggers at Bon.

Both Bon and Konekomaru burst out laughing. Shima's cheeks turned a dark pink and he turned towards Shinichi. "I didn't want to share a room with them anyway."

Shinichi wanted to laugh but he couldn't do it.

"Boy, Izumi sure is humorless," remarked Bon quietly, but Shinichi could hear him because of his enhanced hearing.

"Oh, Migi," muttered Shinichi. "How many meters is it between the dorm I'll be staying at and home?"

"It is not within my range. That's what you are asking," replied the Parasite.

Shinichi paled. He didn't like being more than about 150 meters away from his father, yet where he was staying wasn't even in Migi's _range? _So many problems were piling up right in front of the teen.

"The chances of a Parasite coming after him are low. There hasn't been much Parasite activity in over a month," said Migi.

"If I recall correctly, you said almost the _exact same thing_ when Mom and Dad went on that vacation," said Shinichi icily, slamming his fist on the table. He looked up to see everyone staring at him. "Sorry. My hand slipped."

No one dared argue with him. Shima gulped from behind him. Was he really going to be sharing a dorm for a week with this guy? That wasn't quite Shima's idea of fun.

"Izumi, how many times do you plan on interrupting my class?" asked Yukio impatiently.

Shinichi looked up and gave him a cold stare. "Sorry."

Yukio was quick to turn around and nervously continue his lesson.

* * *

"He just seems like a normal teenage boy to me," said Kuramori, taking a sip of his coffee. "I see no reason to continue investigating him."

He was in a small café near Izumi Shinichi's school discussing his investigation with his employer, Tamura Reiko.

"Did you notice anything odd about his right hand?" asked Tamura, looking at him expectantly.

"His right hand?" asked Kuramori, clearly taken aback. "No. What's so special about his right hand?"

"Doesn't he seem odd to you for a boy his age?" asked Tamura.

"Sure, he seems a bit aloof for his age, but there are people like that. Not every teenage boy is a party animal," said Kuramori, looking his employer in the eye.

"Just continue investigating him. As I am the employer, I will tell you when what you have done is satisfactory," she said, getting up and putting the payment for the beverages on the table.

Kuramori got up as well, shaking hands with her as she left the establishment. He had never really gotten a good answer from her why she wanted him to spy on Izumi Shinichi. He saw nothing wrong with him. His record was immaculate, free of any kind of criminal activity in the past.

What was her reasoning?

* * *

**Another chapter up! Shinichi's ring tone was a NateWantsToBattle song called "Monster Inside." I thought its usage appropriate because it's a Parasyte song.**

**Edit: I just went back and edited all the chapters in an attempt to fix the fact that Shinichi is overpowered. Thank you Aria for pointing that out. You don't have to go back and read it though. The only thing that's different is that Shinichi doesn't win that fight with Rin.**

**Until next time!**


	11. Practice Week Part I

**I AM SO SORRY. I CAN EXPLAIN. The last month of school wound up being **_**really**_** heavy with work. Like, elephant in a dump truck full of bricks heavy. School let out on June 9, and I kept having things to do up until now. **

**THIS IS IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ. I will be going on my annual trip from June 25-July 18. There will be fewer updates during that time period, but I will still be able to snag a computer and do some writing.**

**If you didn't see the edit on the author's note in the last chapter, I changed the fight scene between Rin and Shinichi, taking into account Aria's excellent points.**

**Aria, I am taking down the review reply I posted so not to get chapter numbers off by one. If you didn't see it, please let me know and I will post it again until I update. **

**That said, onwards!**

* * *

11

Practice Week

Part I

"Remind me why I have to share a room with Izumi again?" Shima whispered nervously in Yukio's ear.

"Because no one else wants you and he doesn't care. I think he'd rather be alone," replied Yukio.

"Let him be alone! I don't want to share a room with him," said the teen, slight desperation seeping into his tone.

"No can do. Everyone absolutely must have a room 'buddy,'" he said.

Shima pouted at the back of the group while Yukio opened the main door and let everyone into the dorm building. "This," he said, "is the building where we will be staying. I don't care which rooms you pick as long as you are in your assigned groups."

Shinichi cast a bored glance over at Shima, who jumped at the gesture. "Come on, Shima," he said.

Needless to say, Shima scurried after him.

After everyone was settled, the group gathered in the main room to receive practice tests from Yukio. That brought on quite a few groans.

"Stop your moaning," Yukio said, clearly annoyed. "This will _help_ you."

"You're not the one who has to take it," remarked Shima under his breath.

"Might I remind you that I already took the exwire test? I'm an exorcist, remember? In any case, if I see any cheating I will do something horrible to you," said Yukio, stressing the last sentence.

Sweating occurred around the room for a moment before Yukio gave the starting signal and it went silent.

Shinichi looked down at his test.

_1\. How does one summon a demon? Be as detailed as possible._

Well, he knew that one at any rate. He picked up his pencil and began the soon-to-be tedious routine of doing a practice test.

_To summon a demon, one must first have the proper materials: a needle (or any other sharp object to draw a drop of blood), anything that can be used to make the summoning circle (Summoning papers are the most convenient and best for quickly sending away a demon should it get out of control), and a strong will/heart. _

Shinichi continued the short essay and moved on.

The week was quite tedious until the end of it.

* * *

"I just can't believe Moriyama is hanging out with _her_," complained Rin as he walked down the hall with Shinichi, whom he had snatched earlier when the teen hadn't been doing anything. "That awful Izumo is making her her slave!"

"We're going to take a shower but you can't come," said the faint voice of Izumo. "Make yourself useful and get Paku and me fruit smoothies. That's what friends do."

"Just let it work itself out," said Shinichi, who clearly wanted to be anywhere but there.

"But what if it doesn't work itself out?" asked Rin.

Both of them looked behind them when they heard approaching footsteps. It was Shiemi, walking at a brusquely. As she passed, Rin grabbed her arm.

"You know she's using you, right?" he said, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice. "Izumo is not your friend."

"What do you know about friendship?" shouted Shiemi, pulling away. "I'm not your friend, remember?"

Rin adopted an apologetic look and was about to open his mouth when he heard a scream coming from the bathroom Paku and Izumo were in. He didn't hesitate to run off that way, shouting at Shiemi to stay where she was. She blatantly ignored him and followed. Shinichi ran off after the two.

Izumo was in the bathroom about to get torn apart by her wolf familiars.

"Rip the paper!" screamed Shinichi as he entered the room.

Standing over Paku was a huge brown demon that was drooling all over the place. Its mouth was open, showing a circle of teeth. The thing had two heads. Only one had "eyes", but what it had didn't really qualify as such. Its eyes were empty sockets. Stitches ran all over its body and it had four arms.

"Paku…" said Izumo, eyeing the demon advancing on her friend.

The demon bit Paku hard and threw her off, blood coming off of its teeth as it whipped its head around.

"Shiemi, you heal Paku and I'll hold this thing off!" shouted Rin.

"I'm helping!" Shinichi chimed in as he drew Satsuriku.

"If only I had sancho," Shincihi faintly heard Shiemi say over the ruckus.

"My lord, I am sorry," the demon said in a raspy voice as it fought Rin.

"Uh, Rin? Why is it apologizing?" yelled Shinichi. "Why is it talking to you like it's your butler?"

"I don't know!" a panicked Rin replied. It was painfully obvious to Shinichi that he was lying. He was hiding something important and Shinichi knew it full well.

_Not that I'm really in any position to persecute Rin for hiding something important, _mused Shinichi.

"It's like it's hibernating. Why is the signal so weak?" asked the demon, turning to Shinichi.

"What," yelled Rin, looking at Shinichi, "is he talking about?"

Shinichi didn't bother answering as Rin asked the thing "why?"

"I do only as my master bids," replied the demon, which promptly ran off and disappeared.

"Master?" questioned Shinichi to no one in particular. "This thing was _sent_ by somebody?"

"Take this," said the elder Okumura twin from the other side of the room, handing Izumo his shirt.

"What about her?" Shinichi said, pointing at Paku. "Shouldn't we get her to an infirmary or some—" He paused as he saw something twitch behind Rin's back.

"What?" asked Rin, who noticed the other teen looking at him strangely.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head.

"What happened?" asked the other members of the class, bursting into the room and looking around. Everyone's eyes quickly fell on Paku.

"Get Yuki," said Shiemi quietly.

* * *

Paku was carried off to recover and Izumo went with her, not to be seen for hours. Shinichi and Rin explained what happened in as much detail as they could, but Shinichi noted how hesitant Rin was to tell his brother about what the demon had said. Shinichi made a point to cut off Rin when he started to tell him about what the demon had said about hibernation.

"It sounds like it was a ghoul," Yukio said thoughtfully, "a demon that possesses a corpse. That can't be good."

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" asked Shinichi.

"Nothing for now. Everyone should just go to bed," he replied. "Rin, I need to talk to you for a second," he added, motioning for his twin to follow as he left.

_It'll be back. I'm sure of it._


	12. Practice Week Part II

**Dang it, I'm always apologizing every time I post a new chapter. I should stop making update promises. Anyway, I wound up being too busy on vacation to write anything and after that I was feeling really down because something happened. Plus I had writer's block. I'll be gone for at least another week starting this Sunday, so just a heads up. **

**Please tell me if I'm taking this story too fast.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

11

Practice Week

Part II

Needless to say, no one really got any sleep that night, but Izumo took it the hardest.

"Migi," asked Shinichi once he was sure Shima was asleep, "how did that thing know you were there? Especially since you were in your four hour sleep?"

"I'm not sure. As far as I can tell, demons can't sense Parasitic wavelengths but this one clearly could. Has that teacher said anything about demon communication or anything along those lines?" replied the Parasite, waiting expectantly for Shinichi's response.

"I don't remember anything like that. I suppose I could ask Okumura," Shinichi thought aloud, turning over so his back was facing Shima.

"Fine, but remember to do it subtly. If a question is asked, there is always a reason behind it. No exceptions. Start a conversation and work your way up," Migi said. "I'll do some more research on demons, but you need to rest. Your health is my health."

"Yes, yes, I know," said the teen as he rolled over again so Migi wasn't in an awkward position.

* * *

The next day, Paku announced that she wanted to drop out of cram school. The whole time, Izumo stood behind her looking down with a guilty look on her face. The day passed fairly uneventfully. Izumo and Bon kept getting into fights, but otherwise it was just like anytime else. Practice tests, break, studying, so on and so forth.

"I'm so glad this is the last day. I don't know how much more of this I can take," complained Shima after an hour long study session.

"If anyone needs this camp, it's you," replied Bon sarcastically.

Shinichi, as usual, studied alone and listened in on everyone else's conversations. It wasn't like anyone liked him anyway, so he didn't feel guilty eavesdropping. Besides, who knows when any sliver of information could be useful?

"I beg to differ. I think _you_ need this camp, Suguro," spat Izumo from all the way across the room. "All you can do is memorize stuff, and that's hardly a talent to be proud of."

"You weren't even involved in that. Make this easier on the rest of us and shut up," said Shinichi, standing up and glaring at the girl.

"You weren't involved either. Buzz off," replied Izumo, glaring. Shinichi noted how she didn't make eye contact with him, but it didn't surprise him. No one really did.

"Izumo, Suguro, quit fighting! I'm sick and tired of hearing you two bicker about the most useless things," said Yukio sternly, stepping into the room.

Another fight later, everyone was sitting on the floor of the main room with rock demons on their laps called Bariyons as Yukio explained how they would get heavier the longer they were held. Suddenly, he got a call.

"Alright, listen up. I have to go on an important mission. You will stay here. You will not talk. You will not remove the Bariyons. If you do, I will find you. Most importantly, _you will not fight_," said Yukio, gritting his teeth at the last part. Then, he suddenly perked up. "Don't worry. We put extra protection around the building due to yesterday's incident. It's nigh impossible for it to get in."

Seemingly moments after he left, the power went out.

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked Shima.

"It's highly improbable," replied Shinichi, looking out the window. "But, if what Okumura said is true, we should be fine. After all, it _is_ storming outside. It's not a stretch to say that a power line got knocked out. But on the other hand, people in our position are not allowed to believe in coincidences."

"That was reassuring," remarked Izumo, snorting.

Everyone else glanced at each other nervously (except for Takara and Yamada of course). Everything happened so fast. The next thing the cram school students knew, the ghoul was right in front of them and getting closer rapidly. Luckily by then, everyone had had the sense to cast aside the Bariyons with some difficulty and be ready for anything.

Everyone panicked but Shiemi stayed relatively calm given the situation. She put up a plant wall between them and the ghoul. Everyone stared at her before thanking every star in the sky that Shiemi was there.

"Don't just stand there, call Yukio!" shouted Rin.

Konekomaru fumbled for his phone and dialed the number in record time. "He's not picking up!"

Rin grumbled something inaudible even to Shinichi before turning to the group. "I'll lure it away!"

"What? Do you want to get yourself killed?" yelled Izumo.

"You're doing it again, Okumura! You don't have to solve every problem on your own!" shouted Bon angrily as Rin disappeared.

Several people were about to go after Rin when yet another ghoul appeared behind the wall. Once again, panic made itself comfortable in the room.

Shinichi, getting slightly annoyed that Shiemi was the only one doing anything, took charge. He didn't know much about Arias, but he did know that they chanted a fatal verse and expelled the demon that way. "Does anyone know the fatal verse for this ghoul?"

"I don't know what verse but for ghouls, the verse should be somewhere in the book of John. I have it memorized," said Bon.

"I know the first ten chapters," said Konekomaru.

"Good. You two try and find the fatal verse. Everyone else is to protect Konekomaru and Suguro and be prepared at all times. It's just a matter of time before this demon breaks through Moriyama's wall," said Shinichi. "And Migi," he added quietly. "Don't interfere."

"I will if this gets out of hand. Do you have the holy water I require if I do need to do something?" said Migi.

"Yes, I have a little bottle in my pocket. But you won't need to interfere," said Shinichi as he ran to surround the two Arias in training.

"This is crazy. We're all going to die," said Izumo, leaning against the wall.

"We don't know how much longer Moriyama can hold it, nor do we know how much longer it'll be before the ghoul breaks through. Either way, we need to be prepared," replied Shinichi, staying eerily calm throughout the ordeal.

_How is he so calm? Isn't he _worried? thought Izumo, staring at Shinichi.

Shima and Shinichi left the circle to take some jabs at the demon while everyone else except Takara, Yamada, and Izumo continued to protect Konekomaru and Bon.

All Izumo could think of was Paku. If only she had been nicer to Moriyama.

Suddenly, the wall went down. The ghoul came at them faster than ever.

Looking around, Izumo found new resolve within herself and brought out her summoning papers. She recited her chant.

"How dare you summon us again—" started one wolf.

"Obey me!" shouted Izumo coldly. The demons looked at each other and nodded.

Shinichi saw this all happen in the corner of his eye and thought, _My heart is beyond repair._

Just as the ghoul was about to attack the Arias, Suguro reached the end of John and the ghoul perished. There was a relieved silence as Izumo began walking towards Moriyama.

"You know," she said, "I've always hated you."

Shiemi had a look of hurt surprise for a split second before saying something Izumo would never forget. "You weren't acting like yourself today. Are you okay?"

* * *

Everyone was in the little infirmary of the building praising Moriyama and wondering whether they had passed the test themselves.

"It was all a test," said Yukio, coming in. "It was the field portion of the exwire test. You all handled it very well."

"Really?" asked several students in unison.

"Yes. By the way, this is Professor Neuhaus. He helped with the exam," said Yukio, gesturing to the same man with the eye patch Shinichi had seen before.

Rin's eyes widened. "He—"

Neuhaus looked coldly at Rin, effectively cutting off his sentence.

"I'd like to introduce my new assistant, Izu Ayako," said the professor, gesturing to a woman who came in.

Shinichi's heart nearly stopped.

It was his mother.

* * *

**ALL SHALL BE EXPLAINED FEAR NOT**


	13. Nightmare

**I SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE REVIEWS**

**BLESS THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE THE TIME TO LEAVE REVIEWS**

**Also, two chapters to kind of make up for the long update gaps there have been lately.**

* * *

13

Nightmare

_"Are you sure this enemy of yours is here?" asked Uda, looking at Shinichi sympathetically._

_ "I don't know. She'll find Dad eventually. I know that much," replied the teen. "Migi hasn't sensed anything yet."_

_ "Neither had Parasite. When are you leaving town again?"_

_ "Soon. Dad is almost ready to leave the hospital."_

_ Uda left and contacted Shinichi not too long afterwards, saying that Parasite had sensed killing intent from another of his kind. Shinichi had started running towards her as soon as possible, his anger building up the entire time. _

_ "Wait, Shinichi. I'm tired," said Migi._

_ "Now?" Shinichi nearly yelled._

_ "I can leave you with this. Run if you can," said Migi, forming a sword._

_ Shinichi continued on with rock hard resolve. He eventually found the clearing where Uda was. All he saw of her was the shoe she left behind._

Everything around Shinichi seemed to slow down. His breathing became rapid as he paled and grabbed the front of his shirt over his scar so hard his knuckles were white and his palms were hurting from the extreme pressure.

"What's wrong with Izumi?" Shinichi heard a faint voice say.

"It looks like he's having a seizure! Someone call an ambulance!" screamed Rin. Shinichi felt him put a hand on his back.

"No hospitals," Shinichi managed to say, doubling over.

"Take deep breaths," Migi's voice whispered in his ear. "Good. Just like that. Calm."

No one seemed to notice how calm "Izu Ayako" was during the whole thing. The only thing she was concerned about was the fact that Shinichi wasn't dead.

As quickly as it came, the attack passed. Shinichi looked at what used to be his mother solemnly. He knew it wasn't her. He knew. So why was it so painful? Why did his world continue to crumble around him every time he breathed? How was it that Shinichi was about ready to burst from grief and anger yet he couldn't cry? Shinichi was painfully aware in that moment that happiness was not his goal unlike everyone else. His life had turned into survival of the fittest, and he was determined to be stronger than the rest.

"Izumi, are you okay? You had us all really wor—"

"I'm fine. It happens. No big deal," Shinichi said, glancing at the Parasite one more time before walking away. He was far too angry with Izu Ayako, the world, and himself to be bothered with anything else. Shinichi was going to let his anger consume him and frankly, he didn't want to stop that.

_Let it burn, _he thought.

Once he was out of sight and out of earshot, Shinichi let his anger out in a torrent of fire. Migi calmly listened as Shinichi ranted on and on. At the end of it, he said, "Does the universe hate me?"

"Of course not. Everything that happens is merely chance," said Migi matter-of-factly. "For instance, I never told you that your parents' vacation would be safe. No one is completely safe from my kind. It was chance that the incident occurred."

"Yes, I know. We've had this discussion before. Tell me, Migi, how do you propose we kill her?" asked Shinichi, getting straight to the point.

"Don't rush into this blindly just because this Parasite is inhabiting your mother's body. Bide your time unless absolutely necessary," replied his hand.

"Migi?"

"What?"

"She'll be around the school?"

"Presumably."

Shinichi took a sharp intake of air and walked down the hallway to start packing his things. Now more than ever he needed to stay close to his dad and prevent that monster from taking him away from Shinichi too. Shinichi had gone through too much to bear any more pain. But he knew it was coming.

Everyone was sitting in the main room when Shinichi arrived, his things packed on in a small suitcase in his hand.

"I have to go," Shinichi said curtly, heading towards the door.

"Izumi, wait! You can't have a seizure and just waltz away with no explanation," said Yukio. "Sit."

Completely ignoring all of them, Shinichi went out the door. The second it was shut, he took off for his house at full speed. Sure, he got some curious looks, but all that was on his mind was the need to get to Kazuyuki.

When he got there, he practically ripped the door off its hinges. His father was sitting on the couch, looking at Shinichi in surprise.

"Are you okay?" asked Kazuyuki after a brief silence.

"Yeah. I just…had a rough week," Shinichi lied, heading upstairs. "Oh, and if anyone tries to come into the house, please shout for me, okay?" he added over his shoulder.

Kazuyuki nodded and returned to the magazine he had been reading prior to the interruption.

* * *

Izumi Shinichi was out of whatever commitment he had been at, so Kuramori figured he had a lot more chance of being able to observe him effectively. Luckily for him, Izumi happened to have his window open.

"What are we going to do about her?" he heard the boy say.

_Who is he talking to? Only he and his father live here and I know that he's downstairs, _thought Kuramori. _A friend over?_

Kuramori adjusted his hiding place so he had a fairly good view of Izumi's bedroom. What he saw terrified him more than anything. His right hand was…alive! A monster! Thousands of questions flooded the man's mind but the only thing he could do was scream.

Izumi's and the monster's attention immediately snapped to him.

"He's seen too much. He must be eliminated," said his hand, stretching out to reach him on the ground with two blades outstretched and ready to rip him to shreds.

"Migi, no! We can't kill him!" yelled Izumi, grabbing his wrist in a futile attempt to pull back his hand.

"We have to. He knows about me," the hand replied, racing towards him.

Izumi finally succeeded in pulling it back, but it just disconnected from his arm and continued on its own.

"What are you doing?" Izumi screamed. "Run!"

And oh boy did he run.

* * *

"You should have let me kill him. Do you understand what you've done? He's going to leak this to somebody and they'll come after you. You'll become a lab rat and so will I," Migi lectured the next day before Shinichi left for cram school.

Shinichi didn't have anything to say as he continued on his way.

Shinichi was alone as usual, but that day he could hear everyone talking about the previous day's incident with the seizure. Yukio came in shortly though so Shinichi didn't have to listen to that anymore. Everyone held in a breath, waiting for Yukio to announce the results of the exwire exam.

"You all passed the exwire test," said Yukio, allowing a moment for everyone to cheer. "So, your first real mission is coming up. We've gotten reports of some sort of sea demon on the coast, so it's your job to take care of it. You'll be leaving in a few days."

Before Shinichi knew it, he was on the beach manning a concession stand with Rin.


	14. The Reunion of Loneliness

**I know, I know. I'm a horrible person. As bad of an excuse as this is, it's true. My heart just hasn't been in it for a while. I'm sorry. Things happened like having to put down my cat so please understand. But now that I'm okay and things happening are lessening or over, I thought I **_**really**_** ought to update this story and I read the last chapter. I'm ready to get back into this! I'll try to be less horrible about updates. I'll try to do weekly updates at least but no guarantee. **

**One other thing: I realize now that I got the timeline a little mixed up, but fear not! Kuro is coming. **

**I seriously appreciate the reviews sent my way! Follows, favorites—all of it. Seriously. It means a lot. Thank you!**

* * *

14

The Reunion of Loneliness

"Why does it have to be so _hot?_" complained Rin, fanning himself with tongs for their seafood stand.

"Why would you even bother fanning yourself with tongs? It wouldn't work to begin with and it's even worse because you've, oh, I don't know, _just been handling fried squid with it?_" said Izumo, glowering at all passing by while she got ready to go swimming. "In any case, if you're so hot, just take off your shirt."

"I shall not," said Rin, clearly annoyed. "Besides, Izumi didn't take his shirt off and no one is bugging him."

"Nobody bugs him for anything."

"I'm right here you know," said Shinichi, raising his hand.

"We know, that's kind of obv—"

"I find your lack of presence disturbing," finished Rin, very deliberately cutting her off.

Izumo shot him an irritated glare and looked back at Shinichi. "Are you seriously not hot?"

"Who cares? Why is nobody coming to our stand? This is an outrage! I hear that fried quid is _very_ popular with the ladies," said Shima, who promptly knocked over a bucket of tentacles, causing a nearby girl to scream. "Delicious squid?" he added, running over to the girl and holding out a fried tentacle on a stick.

"I bet you five bucks he's gonna get slapped," said Rin to Izumi.

"I refuse to take that bet."

* * *

Rin couldn't help but notice that Izumi seemed to be looking around for someone, even if he did it subtly. Not that he would ever ask him about it. Every cram school student had learned to avoid asking him questions. It wasn't like anyone would ever get answers; all he ever did was tighten his fists, square his shoulders, and blatantly ignore you. What a friendly guy, huh?

Suddenly, he heard a bit of a commotion coming from the water. "What's going on?" he asked to no one in particular.

Suddenly, a little boy darted past the stand and dove into the water, swimming out to—was that _Izumo?_

"I've got you!" shouted the boy, pulling her to shore and slamming his forehead into hers by accident.

"Ow—"

"Sorry, lady. Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her with genuine concern on his face, Rin couldn't help but notice as he got closer.

* * *

Shinchi wasn't sure how, but somehow he had wound up in a pet store with the boy from earlier, whose name was Yohei. The boy seemed stiff around him. Perhaps he could detect a trace of Migi? He sure hoped not.

_God, _he thought, _when did my life start revolving around Migi?_

"Okay, everyone just stop," said Rin, kneeling down to get on Yohei's eye level. "Something is wrong. I know it is. Please just tell us. Maybe we can help you."

Everyone nodded in agreement like they had noticed too. Shinichi couldn't help but feel the fire of panic shoot through him for just a moment—sure, he had never been super social but he had always been able to tell when something was wrong for anybody. But it was gone as soon as it had come. He would not let fear control him, he would not let panic control him. Remain calm, remain calm—and he was calm.

"My father—he was out at sea. That creature killed him. The kraken killed him and I will have my revenge even if it kills me. He's been gone for six months. I will get that monster," Yohei paused, his eyes shining. "All I want is my father back," he added quietly.

_All I want is my father back._

_ All I want is my father back._

_ All I want is my father back._

_ All I want is my mother back._

Shinichi swallowed it best he could. Not everything revolved around his life.

"Even if it kills you?" asked Shima quietly.

The boy responded by firmly nodding his head.

After all the exwires had left, they all agreed to make sure Yohei didn't go into ocean. Nobody wanted Yohei's blood on their hands. It was difficult, but they did it—sunset was the problem.

"We managed," said Rin, breathless. It was amazingly hard work keeping him from going. Then he paused. "What's that?"

Izumo and Shima looked at him with quizzical expressions but Shinichi knew exactly what he was talking about. It surprised him that Rin had felt it but it really didn't. He knew something was up with Rin already, he just didn't know what. He had felt a tremor. The two other exwires in the room felt it soon after Rin spoke. They looked at each other, wasting no time dashing outside.

The kraken screeched in the water.

* * *

Kuramori watched, observed—however he felt like dress it up that day.

And he did it very, very warily.

He knew of this teen's right hand and he was worried this would be his last case. He had nearly dropped his camera when he felt the tremor.

"Wha—" he cursed under his breath as he looked up. And up. And up. The color drained from his face.

_You've gotta be kidding me, _he thought, staring wide-eyed at the giant sea creature threatening to attack. He snapped a quick picture and moved as safe a distance away as possible.

* * *

All four exwires lunged at the kraken, weapons drawn and ready. To their chagrin, it deflected everything until nobody could lift a finger to help. Well, Shincihi _could _do something more but he couldn't risk more people knowing of Migi.

It was a good thing the kid was sharp. He raced to a motorboat and shot out to sea, carrying a harpoon, which he promptly shot at the beast.

It fell with a wail and out came Yohei's father.

_"Dad," _said Yohei, his eyes shining once more but with a different light in them.

"Yohei," replied the man, spreading his arms wide. Yohei ran into them, the tears flowing freely now.

"I thought you were dead," he said.

"But I'm here."

_All I want is my father back._

_ If only._

Sighing and shaking himself of his thoughts, Shinichi walked away and spotted his tracker. "Kuramori," he said, catching the attention of the detective, who eyed his right hand, "we need to talk."


	15. Kuro's Signal

**Hey again! I'm determined not to let updating go that long again. I know I've said this many times over, but I mean it. Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! It really is an honor to have that many people who like my story. Yes, I know that sounds like literally everyone else on this site but I mean it.**

* * *

15

Kuro's Signal

"You…want to talk?" asked Kuramori nervously. "Alone?"

"Alone. I promise no harm will come to you," replied Shinichi. He grabbed him and dragged him towards an isolated bench on the beach. He knew that the other exwires weren't exactly fond of him so he didn't have to worry about getting interrupted by them.

Shinichi sat the older man down and told him everything. From the moment he went to bed that fateful night all the way to present day. Migi came out and told some of the story as well, causing a nervous reaction from the detective.

"You have to turn yourself in," said Kuramori, straightening and looking at Shinichi. "If you're really still human, you will turn yourself in. We could benefit from you—we could study the Parasite in your hand, we could win this war."

"Absolutely not," said Migi, looking at Kuramori with the faintest trace of hostility—and protectiveness—in his eye.

"You have to," said Kuramori again, with an almost pleading tone.

"Migi would kill anyone in the hospital plus who knows who else," said Shinichi tiredly. "I don't have jurisdiction over him even if he is attached to my hand. I doubt I can stop him again. Consider yourself lucky that you saw him in location like the second floor of a house."

"Turning yourself over to a research facility would be in the best interest of humanity," replied Kuramori, standing up and walking away.

* * *

After the exwires came back from a successful mission, they got some pats on the back and for Rin, it was back into the hot, stuffy dorm he had the misfortune of staying in.

Rin always noticed things about Shinichi. He wasn't really sure why. It just happened. At this point in time, he had noticed that Shinichi seemed to look even more restless than usual. Not that he had time to worry about him. He had just been told that there was a demon cat ready to attack some people.

"Yukio, you have to let me come," whined Rin, his tail swishing behind him.

"No. This job is for certified exorcists and you can't even run simple errands. How can I trust you with a mission?" replied his twin, tucking an extra pair of glasses or two into his coat pocket.

"But it would help me get experience," said Rin.

"You say that _every time _something comes up. Stay here. You need to learn to stop relying on your flames and start relying on real ability. Do you know what you're doing? Every time you use those flames you become closer to _him,_" said Yukio angrily, determined to keep his elder twin from doing something reckless and demonic again.

"Is that what this is about? Look, my flames do _not _make more like _him_ and I will never become that," said Rin defensively.

"How can you be sure?"

"Have a little trust in me for a change, will you?"

Yukio stormed out the door and shouted at Rin to stay behind or he would assign him twice as much homework as everyone else.

Too bad Rin had no intention of staying behind.

As soon as Yukio was out the door, he climbed out the window and climbed onto the roof.

* * *

"You're feeling a wavelength similar to Rin's?" asked Shinichi, looking at Migi.

"Yes. We should investigate. Perhaps it would give us a clue as to why Rin has the wavelengths he does. This one is not the exact signal I got from him, but it's something similar. We should go now before I lose it," replied the Parasite, already halfway formed into a regular hand.

"Fine. Lead the way," said Shinichi, walking out the front door and shouting an excuse to Kazuyuki over his shoulder.

Shinichi went down several blocks and stopped when he saw a crowd of people in front of a giant cat. Well, it was some variation of a cat anyway.

"The signal is coming from that," whispered Migi, clearly indicating the cat.

"Killing intent?"

"No, it's emitting a signal I have never received from a Parasite. However, judging from its current appearance, killing intent is present."

"What do you propose we do about it? We can't even go near it with this crowd."

"We observe it and if possible, wait out the crowd."

Migi stopped then said, "Rin is here on the roof. Perhaps he can assist us."

"Assist us with what?" asked Shinichi warily.

"Rin could possibly have some information already on it. It could be helpful to my research as well as yours. After all, you're the one who wanted to go through with cram school," said Migi.

Shinichi sighed knowing he was right and slipped inside the building for the construction workers of the area, making his way to the roof. Rin looked up at him as he emerged from the trap door.

"Uh…what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Observing. The cat—what is it?" asked Shinichi.

"It's a cat sidhe. It's a demon that possesses a cat," he replied. "This one used to be my father's. He's going crazy because he found out about the old geezer's death."

"What was he like?"

"Uh, I hear he was a lot sweeter before this."

"No, I mean your father."

Rin paused, biting back some emotion. "He was loud, annoying, pushy, and the best man who ever lived."

"Thanks," said the other teen, standing up and walking away.

* * *

"Rin? I told you to stay behind!" yelled Yukio as his brother approached him.

"Tough cookies," said Rin.

_Shiro! Shiro! _A sharp cry sounded in Rin's head again.

"You know, he left behind something should Kuro get out of control," said Yukio, deep in conversation with another exorcist. "I believe it's a poison of sorts."

"Get it. We'll hold him off until you get back," said the other man, turning back and giving orders to a group of people.

"You can't kill him!" yelled Rin.

"We have no choice. It's necessary," replied Yukio coldly, calling someone to get a ride to the monastery.

Rin watched him go thoughtfully, going up to Kuro to give it a go.

After Yukio got back, he saw Rin trying to calm him down.

"Nii-san, get out of there!" he shouted, throwing the poison.

It broke and out came a white substance. When it cleared, Kuro had reverted back to a smaller form and was playing in it.

"It's his favorite plant," said Yukio disbelievingly, sitting down beside Rin. "Of course. Dad never would have wanted to kill him."

* * *

"Okay. So Kuro had a similar wavelength to Rin, right?" said Shinichi.

"Right. Isn't it odd that a demon and Rin have a similar wavelength? It's odd that Rin has one at all," replied Migi.

"But Kana—" said Shinichi, getting cut off from his phone. He looked at the number. "Speaking of which…"


	16. Dangerous Affiliations

**I don't really have a lot to say this time. I'm just going to put out there that getting constructive criticism is really good for improving my writing. **

**Also, I apologize for typos or mistakes in this story since I don't have a beta reader.**

* * *

16

Dangerous Affiliations

"Kana?" asked Shinichi, pressing the "accept call" button and bringing the phone to his ear.

_"Hey! Sorry I got delayed getting away. Tokyo is a big city, you know? Anyway, I'll be arriving soon so be on the lookout for me," _said Kana on the other end.

_I really wish she wouldn't, _thought Shinichi.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? I mean, leaving home and all that…" he said, grabbing at anything that would make her stay away from him.

_"Of course! There's only one person I need and you know who it is," _replied Kana, the screeching of a train stopping easily heard on the other end. _"Well, that's my stop. See you soon," _she added as she hung up.

"Is she coming?" asked Migi.

"Unfortunately," replied Shinichi, getting up and stretching. He was certainly going to have trouble avoiding Kana but it could be done.

* * *

"Today, we have another new student. Class, Kimishima Kana. Kimishima, class," said Yukio, gesturing towards the class and back to Kana.

_There goes that plan. I guess I'll have to convince her to stay away from me. Anyway, how did she even find cram school? _Thought Shinichi.

"Hi," she said simply before sitting as close to Shinichi as she could get.

"I came," she whispered to him as she passed.

"I've warned you before and I'll keep on doing that," replied Shinichi.

"Do you two know each other?" asked Yukio, taking note of the exchange with mild interest.

"He's my boyfriend," replied Kana nonchalantly, putting her hands behind her head for added effect.

"_What?_" shouted the entire class in unison.

"I'm not," said Shinichi calmly. "She's getting ahead of herself there. I've no love interest. However, to answer your previous question, we do know each other to a certain degree."

"But I can sense—" she said as Shinichi turned around and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"What she means is that she can feel demons without a spirit wound," said Shinichi, shooting her a look that Kana understood as a gesture to talk about it later.

"Er, yes. That. By the way, I really need one of those—what were they called?" she said.

"Spirit wounds. I'll summon a hobgoblin real quick for you," said Yukio, who was certainly not oblivious to the fact that something was going on his quietest student didn't want him to know about.

After that was done, class went on normally. Afterwards, Shinichi waited in the hallway for Kana to emerge.

"How did you find cram school?" he asked abruptly.

"I pretty much just wandered around until I felt your presence. I got a few false leads, sure, but _think about this._ I can sense you presence. We're meant to be together," replied Kana, stepping forward as Shinichi simultaneously stepped back.

"No. You have to stay away from me," he said, giving Kana a hard look.

"But you—you're the one. I like my guys with a little animal but you're on a whole new level."

"Kana—"

"Do you consider yourself dangerous?" she asked.

"Yes," said Shinichi, looking at the ground. "That's why you need to keep your distance. To stay safe from dangerous guys like me."

Kana turned and walked away. "Prove to me that you're as bad as you say and maybe I'll consider," she called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner.

Shinichi sighed and knew that it was going to be a very long year. It wasn't like he could just _show_ her Migi. He had told him to stay away from her and might kill her if she found out about him. He didn't need a repeat of Kuramori, even if he had gotten away. Unless…

Unless he could tell her while Migi was asleep. But not yet. He'd keep Migi a secret unless absolutely necessary.

* * *

The next day, Yukio walked into class with a grim expression on his face. "The exwires are being dispatched for a mission," he said, pulling out a folder. "This is the information. Here's the rundown: in certain locations around the city, fresh blood or traces of blood have been found. People have gone missing as well. Right now the it is believed that demons are the cause so we must act quickly."

"Why aren't they giving this to exorcists?" asked Izumo.

"For two reasons. The first is that the Vatican doesn't really believe in easing exwires into missions. They're given missions where demons are not directly threatening the life of an exwire, though every mission is risky on that level regardless. The second is that this is a chance to hone your stealth skills. Since there seem to be specific spots for it, you just need to figure out how to stop it and the exorcists from there will take care of the source," replied Yukio.

"Alright," said Shinichi. "Where should we begin?"

"You'll be split up into pairs and sent to all the different known locations. Once you know what kind of demon it is, come tell me and I will convey the information to my superiors," said the young teacher, massaging his temples. "Frankly, I think this mission has the potential to be far more dangerous than anticipated, so please be careful."

"We can handle ourselves," said Konekomaru.

"What about Kimishima? She's barely had any training," said Rin, the protectiveness coming into his tone that sometimes did.

"I was going to tell her this in private after class—" said Yukio, pausing to glare at his brother, "but she won't be coming along because of this. She's way behind everyone else so she will be undergoing private training soon."

"I'm going," said Kana coolly from where she sat. "I can go with Izumi."

"No," said Shinichi and Yukio in unison. They gave each other an odd look before Shinichi made a gesture for his teacher to continue speaking. "When I say you haven't had much training, Kimishima, I _mean_ that you haven't had much training. You've been here less than a week. I don't know how you even got past administration to register in this class."

Kana briefly thought back to the strange woman with the burn mark on her hand who had asked her many questions about Shinichi. She looked like she was related to him but acted like she didn't know him at all. It was certainly strange no matter how she looked at it.


	17. Demon Hunt

**Evinco, thank you for the review. If you're referring to the mincemeat murders, I just kind of skipped over that since the story takes place after the whole 'Shinichi gets stabbed by his mom' thing. I briefly mentioned it though. Good eye for foreshadowing. You're right; something is coming. As for people getting slaughtered, it's happened, but really 'off screen' at this point in time. Soon enough, it'll start happening in actual words. As you'll see in this chapter, I'm launching into a Parasyte arc but tinkered with to fit my wants for this story.**

**Yorukoide, thank you. You made my morning with that since I saw it right before I left the house. This chapter was actually finished when you sent that but being proofread by my sister, so you're in luck. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Happy reading, everyone!**

* * *

17

Demon Hunt

"You and Shima will go together," said Yukio, going down the line of exwires and ending at Shinichi and his pink-haired peer.

"Oh, come on!" said Shima, falling to his knees in front of Yukio. "Why must I get Izumi again?"

"Because you two happen to be in the same pair. Anyway, you two will go to the spot where that gang hideout used to be. The one where someone went in and massacred them fairly recently," said Yukio, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"But that place is _creepy,_" complained Shima.

"Too bad for you, then. It's a mission and you have to go whether you like it or not," said the younger Okumura twin.

Shima extended his staff and fell silent.

"Now that everyone is paired up, go!" shouted Yukio.

Shinichi and Shima, alongside the others, ran out and headed to the assigned destination. As the pair arrived at the former hideout, both Shinichi and Shima noticed that the metallic stench of blood still permeated the air.

"Come on," said Shinichi, turning around to see that his companion wasn't following him.

"Coming," said Shima, hurrying after the other teen as quietly as he could. Once they got inside, Shima nearly lost it. There were stains of red everywhere and someone's coffee mug was on the table where he had left it. The silent atmosphere closed in rapidly. Shima didn't know how Shinichi was keeping his cool so well. "Is this all left over from the…attack?"

"If this is a location, it's most likely a mix of both leftovers and fresh. It's hard to tell since the attack on this place was so recent. Actually—" Shinichi froze. "Don't make a move or a sound."

Shima didn't have to be told twice. Soon enough, footsteps could be heard coming down a hallway with the dreadful sound along with it of something heavy being dragged across the dirty floor. Shinichi could hear his peer's heartbeat going wild.

A man with a neutral expression on his face appeared, dragging the body of a young adult with curly brown hair. He bent down as his face split apart and morphed into tentacles with blades on the end.

_He knows I'm here, _thought Shinichi with worry. _Whether Migi is in deep sleep or not, he can be detected. Hopefully he'll leave me alone since I'm not trying to get his meal or pick a fight with him._

He looked over to see Shima with his eyes wide in terror. He looked over at Shinichi and mouthed _This is not any demon I know of._

He looked back and clamped a hand over his mouth, his whole body shaking.

The Parasite finished its meal and threw the remains of the boy into the cellar, where more glints of red could be seen. The exwires watched him walk out after changing his face. Shima had seen the horrors of demons but this—this was too much. He had heard of demons eating people before but seeing it in person was another story entirely. Once he had left, Shima ripped his phone out of his pocket and called Yukio. He immediately picked up.

_"What happened?" _he asked.

"This is not any demon we've seen before. They look like humans at first but they morph their heads into tentacles and they eat people and they can change their faces—" he said.

_"Wait, back up. The demon looked like a person and it could change its appearance?" _said Yukio, concern and disbelief creeping into his tone of voice.

"Yes. It came in here dragging a body and then it bent down," said Shima, his voice cracking a little bit.

_"I'm coming right away. Tell me the rest later," _said Yukio. The sound of his feet pounding on a surface could be heard from Shinichi's and Shima's end.

Shinichi got up and carefully opened the cellar door when Yukio hung up. Tons of bodies mangled to the point they were unrecognizable lay there. Shinichi looked away for a moment as he closed the trap door and stood up. "That was not the first one to come here," he said.

"How many?" asked Shima, being the most serious Shinichi had ever seen him.

"It wasn't easy to count," replied Shinichi, letting the implication of his words hang in the air and sink in.

"What happened?" asked Yukio, darting into the room and stopping to catch his breath. He saw the fresh stain of blood on the floor and the look on Shima's face. Yukio straightened up. "You were talking about a demon that looked like a person and grew tentacles or something…are you two okay?"

"That depends on your definition of 'okay,'" said Shima, his face still white as a sheet.

"Izumi, what exactly happened?" asked Yukio, clearly realizing who was the calmer of the two.

"A…demon with a human appearance came in here dragging the body of a young man. It bent down and its head morphed so it had tentacles with blades on the end. It then ate the person and threw him into the cellar of this place," he said, motioning toward the cellar door.

"Did you look inside the cellar?" asked Shinichi's teacher, anxiety evident in his voice.

"I did," replied Shinichi. "Please don't ask me how many because it was too many to count."

Yukio paled and pulled out his phone. "Shura," he said once the phone had rang a few times. "We found a lead. It's at the old gang hideout. Come immediately."

"Who's Shura?" asked Shima.

"Just an exorcist. You guys get out of here and head home. I think you've seen enough for one day," he replied, eyeing Shima with concern.

* * *

No matter how many times he looked at it despite the boy's explanation, Kuramori simply couldn't fathom why he wouldn't turn himself in.

_If he was truly on humanity's side, he would have done it the second he found out what had happened, _reasoned the private detective, heading to his front door to grab some dinner.

"Welcome back. I just got in too," said his wife, currently in the process of getting dinner for herself.

"Hey, dear. Mind getting me dinner as well?" he asked, adopting a sweet tone for the last part of the sentence.

She laughed. "Fine, fine. Just sit down at the table and wait."

After a while, she sat down with him and handed him a steaming bowl. "So, how was your day?"

"What an extraordinarily ordinary question," said Kuramori. "Well, I'm still working on that case."

"Ah, that's why you look so tired," she said. "Look, don't overwork yourself, okay? You've looked far more tired than usual since you took this case."

"There's a lot to uncover. That's just work."

"You're not getting yourself into anything dangerous, are you? I love you, but you're a private detective and it's not your place to deal with things like that."

"Really, I'm fine. As soon as this case is solved, I'll be back to normal. This is a particularly stressful one. You've had a few cases like that before."

"True, some are just a workload. Just be careful."

"Alright," finished Kuramori, feeling like had just practically lied to his wife.

_But it's not stressful because it's an unusual amount of work, _he thought. _It's stressful because it's testing the morals and beliefs I've been brought up with._


	18. A Fatal Wound That's Not So Fatal

**Hello again my lovely readers! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I HAVE A LEGITIMATE REASON! So, I had a bit of writer's block on this one. Actually, I had a lot. That's why I haven't updated. But fear not! I've gotten my creative juices flowing again. Since that major thing just happened, I guess I didn't entirely think through the whole aftermath of that. And also I'm the most disorganized writer on the planet. Thanks for your patience.**

* * *

18

A Fatal Wound That's Not So Fatal

"So what _exactly_ happened?" asked Izumo, not entirely willing to believe the story she had heard from Shima. "I mean, yes there are demons that eat people, but that's rare enough as it is and one that looks human?"

"I'm telling it like it is. Your brother is still out there, right Okumura?" said Shima, turning to Rin.

"Yeah," he replied, looking out the window a little worriedly. "He should be able to take care of it. Being an exorcist and all."

"Well, if this particular demon has never been seen before or is recently discovered, they won't know how to take it out. Hey…wasn't Izumi with Shima?" remarked Konekomaru, turning to Shinichi. "Nothing he's saying is exaggerated?"

"No," said Shinichi, on the lookout for Yukio. He was considering going out after him. After all…he _knew_ these weren't demons. There wasn't any guarantee their weapons would take them out, and he was certain Arias wouldn't work. "Okumura, how long has your brother been an exorcist?"

"Well, apparently he's the youngest person ever to get the title. I think he got it at like, thirteen or something?" said Rin.

_So he should be able to hold a Parasite off it one comes along. I really should head out there and scope the area out…_ thought Shinichi. Something occurred to him and he turned to face the little circle that had formed. "Are we under direct orders to stay here?"

"No. Izumi, you aren't thinking of going back?" asked Shima, clearly horrified at the thought. "But you were there! You saw it!"

"I can handle it. Besides, I'll have Satsuriku with me," he said, patting the sword on his side.

"Just…how can you stand to go back there after witnessing that?" he asked. "It's not _human._"

He took a step back when he saw the pure anger flash across Shinichi's eyes. "Not human?" he said, staring the pink-haired boy down. "In what way?"

The image of A's attack on the school and the hallway full of bodies rose up in his mind. The horrified faces of the students he had tried to get out of there leered at him.

"Well, it was kinda traumatizing, wasn't it?" said Shima meekly.

"I suppose so. Nonetheless, I need to get out there and help if I can," replied the taller boy.

"Wait, Izumi. What can you do that a full-fledged exorcist can't do?" asked Izumo, looking at him suspiciously. "Do you know something about this new demon?"

"Never heard of it in my life," said Shinichi, walking out the door. He couldn't risk being asked questions he couldn't or shouldn't answer.

* * *

"Shinichi, they will find out about my existence sooner or later at this rate. I highly advise you drop out," said Migi as his host navigated rooftops.

"Wouldn't that make them more suspicious?" asked Shinichi. "And don't say I would never see them again because if they think I'm fishy enough, they'll send someone out to investigate. We already have Kuramori to worry about."

"If I had just killed him we wouldn't have that problem. But yes, I realize now how strong your views are on human life," replied Migi, retracting a bit to avoid smashing into a chimney.

"There it is," said Shinichi, pointing with his left hand as the building came into view.

"Stop. One of my kind is there," said Migi.

"Humans?" asked Shinichi, stopping. "Is Okumura still in there?"

"Yes. And a few others."

"How do you propose we get them out of there without them seeing you?"

"They may be able to hold their own if the Parasite decides to eat. There's a chance specially crafted demon weapons will be able to penetrate the skin."

"It's not a chance I want to take. Can you tell where precisely it is at this distance?"

"Yes, there's a faint signal coming from the cellar."

"The cellar with all the bodies?"

"Yes."

"Alright, maybe no one has to see anything period if we can neutralize it while it's still in the cellar."

"And if it comes out into the open before the exorcists have left the premises?"

But Shinichi was already running, coming closer by the second. When he got there, he found an outer entrance into the cellar.

_Perfect, _he thought, opening it and doing his best to ignore the pungent stench of death.

He cautiously stepped in, keeping all his senses alert.

"Shinichi, it's five meters away," said Migi, breaking the eerie silence.

"How…are you still alive?" asked Shinichi's mother, slipping out of the shadows surrounding her. "I killed you. Stabbed you in the heart. Never did I think I would see you at True Cross Academy."

Time slowed down.

"It's dangerous not to change your face while here since you work at True Cross Academy now," he heard Migi say in the distance.

He was dimly aware of his mother's face looming over him. He knew it was dangerous to just lie there, but he couldn't bring himself to move. It was strange how one moment he could be numb but the next he thought his chest might explode with the grief and pain.

Time sped up.

"What's going on?" shouted a muffled voice, footsteps stepping closer to the cellar. "Is it down there?"

Someone wearing an exorcist's coat charged into the room. Shinichi could tell he was doing his best to ignore his horrific surroundings.

"Izu?" asked Yukio, following. "What are you doing here? Izumi, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I saw him leaving campus," said 'Izu.' Shinichi saw a pink line on the back of her neck disappear. "I followed in case he got into trouble."

"Fair enough," said Yukio. "Izumi, you have some explaining to do. Did I not tell you all to stay there?"

"It wasn't an _order…_I wondered if you would need any assistance," he said.

"If I had needed backup I would have called more certified exorcists. No, you had a different motive, and you can tell me all about it when we get back to True Cross," said Yukio, grabbing his student's right hand and pulling him towards the exit. He stopped suddenly and looked at Shinichi's right hand with an uncertain look. He pulled his own hand away to see a neat puncture wound in the palm and blood starting to well up.

"Izumi…?"


	19. Confrontation

**This chapter was so fun to write. I love writing this sort of thing. It helps that the words came so much faster than with the last few chapters. I'm getting back in the zone.**

* * *

19

Confrontation

"Izumi…?" asked Yukio, looking at his palm and back at Shinichi's.

_There's no way Migi would have been slow enough retracting to allow this to happen, _thought Shinichi. _So what…? _

Shinichi just didn't know to say. He was sure he's only be digging himself into a deeper hole if he tried to explain. Suddenly, Migi's voice sounded in his ear.

"I didn't anticipate him grabbing your hand. That is why I was too slow morphing back into your hand. Handle the situation but don't reveal me."

Shinichi didn't dare reply in front of Yukio. He came up with the best excuse he could without it being blatantly obvious it was a lie.

"Uh…" Shinichi trailed off. He could feel his heart rate increasing. "It…was…a hidden weapon,"

Yukio looked wholly unconvinced and even a little angry. "A secret weapon? Come on, Izumi. Stop lying to me and to the rest of us. It's obvious something is up you won't tell us about. You always isolate yourself and go off on your own plan or idea. Wake up! You're on a team! Heck, you even seem to know something about these new demons! Why don't you tell us anything?"

Shinichi stared at the ground. "I can't," he answered simply, taking a deep breath and allowing himself to calm down.

"But _why?_" replied Yukio. He pulled out a gun. One had demon bullets and the other was a regular gun. "What do you know?" he asked, raising his guns to point at Shinichi.

"I know exactly what I've said," replied the younger teen calmly.

"You're lying," said Yukio coldly, moving a little closer. "I'll ask again—what do you know?"

Deciding it would be better to tell him about Parasites (but not Migi) than have the possibility of getting shot, Shinichi said, "I'll tell you about these demons. But lower your guns."

When it was clear Yukio would do no such thing, Shinichi continued. "These demons aren't actually demons. I don't know where they come from. They're something called 'Parasites.' They inhabit a human, killing the person—they eat the brain—and taking control of the body. They eat people to sustain themselves. Do you remember the mincemeat murders a while back? That was their work. They've adapted more to our society at this point. They've learned to hide bodies and the like. And they will continue to adapt."

"But how do you know all this?" demanded Yukio.

"Even the police know a little about Parasites. And I've been doing research of my own—" said Shinichi, cutting off when he heard footsteps upstairs.

Yukio seemed to have heard it too. He was a trained exorcist after all.

"Later," Yukio hissed, lowering his guns and moving towards the exit leading outside from the cellar.

Shinichi fell in step. As they made their way silently to the doors, a scream sounded through the building. It was a familiar scream.

"That's Kimishima," whispered Yukio, breaking into a run. Shinichi followed, his expression contorting into one of anger more and more with every step.

_You are not taking someone else from me. You aren't taking anyone else,_ he thought, running faster than he knew he should be in front of anyone. Especially not Yukio. He was already onto him a little bit.

He burst inside to see Kuramori cowering behind a flipped table and Kana on the floor. A Parasite was standing over her, its head already morphed. "What an easy meal," Shinichi heard it mutter.

"Stop!" shouted Yukio, pointing his guns at it.

"Stop?" it asked, turning around. It looked at Shinichi and its eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you're here to steal my food? Get it over my dead body!"

"What is it talking about?" asked Yukio through gritted teeth, looking at his student with suspicion.

Without another word, the Parasite lunged at Shinichi, tentacles outstretched with the blades in a battle-ready position. With no other choice, Shinichi dodged. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kuramori with his head poking out widen his eyes. Yukio looked impressed too.

"Why are you holding back? You could simply kill these two if I don't kill you first," said the Parasite.

Suddenly, light filled dim room and six figures rushed in.

"What are you doing here?" Yukio asked loudly, keeping one eye on the Parasite at all times. "Did I not tell all of you to stay at True Cross?"

"Not an order," said Rin, stepping forward with a determined look. "Besides, we came after Izumi. He just went off on his own."

"There's a reason for that," said Yukio, risking a glance towards Shinichi. "But we're in a bit of a situation. Kimishima is about to be eaten!" he added hurriedly. He was fighting off the Parasite to the best of his ability as he spoke.

"She's already dead," said the Parasite, holding up Kana with a slit going through her neck. He made another jab at Yukio.

_I still couldn't do anything…again. When will people stop dying? _

"You," said Shinichi, his shoulders trembling slightly. He didn't finish his sentence as he shot forward and put his hand straight through the Parasite's chest. Its heart flew out the other end and slammed against the wall, beating for a second or two before laying still. The Parasite fell to the floor and blood pooled around it. A stunned silence fell over the company.

Finally, Yukio spoke up. "Alright," he said, pointing his guns at Shinichi again. "You're going to tell me everything and you're going to do it right here. Right now. Whatever you say to me everyone else can hear."

"Isn't that a little much?" said Rin, going to his brother's side and giving him a look only the two of them could read. "Sure he's keeping a secret but this is extreme."

Yukio's expression changed to one of deep guilt but he made no move to lower his guns. "And you," he added, beckoning to Kuramori. "You're going to give us information too."

Kuramori walked over slowly with fear in his eyes. He kept looking at Shinichi and back to the exorcist and exwires.

"Monsters," he muttered under his breath, giving Shinichi one last look before turning his attention away.


	20. Suspicions

**Hey guys! Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year! Sorry I didn't update over the holiday break, but what can I say? It was holiday time. I'm allowed to be lazy on holiday time. In any case, I will start up working on chapters regularly agan now that we're back on routine. **

* * *

20

Suspicions

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked Yukio.

"My name is Kuramori and I'm a private detective. I was here to investigate the strange activity around here," he said, doing his best to stand his ground.

Shinichi hoped it wasn't obvious that this 'strange activity' was following him. Not that Kuramori had been eager to get close since he found out about Migi, but he must be curious. Plus he was still trying to convince him to turn himself in to the authorities.

"What strange activity?" said Yukio. He looked emotionally strained. One of his students _did_ just die. "Did you know about those…_things_ as well as Izumi?"

"So he did know something," muttered Izumo.

"No," said Kuramori firmly. "And I had a subordinate disappear recently around here. I was investigating his disappearance."

"Well, there's your answer," said Yukio, gesturing towards the body of the Parasite. "Have you seen the cellar? There are more victims down there. But enough from you," he added, turning to Shinichi. "Tell me everything. In full detail."

"I already told you about Parasites. What else do you want to know?" asked Shinichi, really wishing Migi had anticipated Yukio's hand. Unfortunately, the exorcist was swift enough he had to worry about anticipation.

"I can read people. I'm used to dealing with secrets," he replied, looking like he was regretting that bit about secrets. Rin tensed up beside him. "I know you're still hiding something. You can shut yourself in as many layers of steel as you want but you're hiding something. We all know it. Just spill! You just _forcefully removed someone's heart._ So, Izumi, I have inferred a few things from that and what the Parasite said. You're a Parasite, aren't you?"

Suppressed emotions bubbled up in Shinichi as he tried to keep calm. His breathing rate escalated. "I'm not a Parasite," he said, with more venom than intended. "Parasites are creatures incapable of emotion."

Shinichi's tone of voice only made Yukio more suspicious. "Well, you're not exactly the most emotional guy in town. You've shown next to no emotion during your stay here."

He took a deep breath. "My point is," said Shinichi, "if I was a Parasite, you would be dead already. Parasites only see humans as a source of food. And they might possibly view exorcists as a threat. You've let your guard down far too many times in close proximity to me for me to be one of those things."

Yukio looked like he was considering that. His grip on his guns loosened marginally but otherwise he didn't move a muscle. "Look," he said. "I still don't trust you. You've withheld information for a long time. So why should I trust you? So you say Parasites view people as only food. Well, you've hardly made any friendships. You could be lying."

"Stop trying to convince yourself I'm a Parasite. If you don't trust me, fine. But believe me when I say that I'm not your enemy. But there's someone in True Cross who is," said Shinichi, forcing down the guilt that always came up when he thought about his mother.

"Who?" asked Yukio, his eyes flicking towards Rin for a brief moment.

"It's not your fight," said Shinichi, adamant in that he would be the one to take revenge for what was torn away from him.

"Izumi," said Bon suddenly. "Give us one good reason we should trust you. You've dealt with these 'Parasites' before. How do we deal with them?"

"You didn't get the explanation he did," said Shinichi, gesturing towards Yukio. "Parasites are creatures of unknown origin that burrow into humans and eat the brain, taking control of the host. They have the ability to morph their bodies, mainly around the control center, the head. Always aim for the heart or the head. That's the only way to incapacitate them."

"How did you learn all this?" asked Bon.

"You learn to take care of yourself when something important is taken away from you," he said simply, immediately regretting bringing up _that._

"And what was it that was taken away from you?" asked Yukio. "A family member?"

Several people in the room visibly winced at the lack of sensitivity from Yukio, especially after losing his own father. Rin especially looked appalled. "Yukio!" he scolded quietly.

"Yes," he said. _That and a lot more, _he added in his thoughts, clutching his shirt right over his scar.

"I see. All of us have lost one thing or another to end up here. We all have our battles but you need to let people help you, which will never be accomplished by keeping secrets," he said. "Unless, of course, you're only lying. Besides, there's clearly something off about you. Not many people stick their hands right through someone's chest. _His heart flew out the other side._ This Parasite was talking to you like you were one of them. Do you have any definitive proof you're not a Parasite?"

"How can I prove that when you don't know anything about them?" asked Shinichi. "There is one method the police developed. But they know more about Parasites than exorcists. Your main concern is demons, so you left this problem to the authorities."

"Had we known, we would have done something," said Yukio.

"_Can_ you do something? You need to understand. Parasites are not demons. They're something else entirely," said Shinichi.

"Then what are they?"

"I said that their origin is unknown."

"How are they not demons? Demons are the only supernatural thing in Assiah."

"Not anymore."

"You wonder if exorcists can do anything. But how have you dealt with them before? A blade meant for demons sounds like it should work just as well on a Parasite. A demon weapon is still a blade, even if bullets and such are made specifically to harm demons. And if you're here to fight Parasites and not demons, your claim is invalid."

"I simply asked if you can do anything about it. Parasites are not mindless creatures like a lot of the non-humanoid demons exorcists face. They adapt. They blend in so you don't see them until the danger is too close to stop. That's how Kana died."

"It's your fault she died."

Shinichi looked at the floor. "I told her to stay away from me but she just wouldn't listen. She followed me here from where I used to live. If it's anyone's fault, it's her own."

_Shouldn't I feel sadder about this? _He thought.

* * *

**I know Yukio seems pretty brutal all of a sudden but it's actually very easy to turn him into the "bad guy" for a bit. Especially since he held up weapons to his own brother in the anime. Even if he didn't use them, even so. **


	21. The Jig Is Up

**I know I say this every time but I'm so sorry for the wait. I hit another severe case of writer's block. I wrote a different draft of this chapter but it just didn't seem right so I had to change it.**

**InsanityPie (is your profile picture Squid Girl?), thank you for your review! You bring up a good point. I believe that at this point in time (a while after the incident with Shinichi's mom), Migi has the ability to act a bit irrationally. In other words, emotions are starting to appear around this time. He doesn't want to tell them for essentially the same reason he's wary of Kuramori—he's worried the exorcists will turn in Shinichi, which of course goes directly back to him. But good eye—this next chapter covers it. I'm just pacing myself. Remember, in the world of this story, the last few chapters happened in a very short amount of time. He would keep denying as long as possible.**

**Castella Leena, don't worry. I would never discontinue a story without telling my readers and I fully intend to finish this one.**

**And thank you everyone for the support!**

* * *

21

The Jig Is Up

"Don't say it was Kana's fault she died. You think she wanted this?" hissed Yukio. "Do you really not feel any sadness?"

"You don't know her at all. No, she didn't want death. You know what she wanted? She wanted me. I told her to stay away from me. I knew something like this would happen someday. But did she listen? No. It's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's not anybody's fault but her own," said Shinichi. He knew he wasn't getting out of this. But would Migi allow himself to be revealed? He had always been very adamant he remain a secret.

"Nothing. You feel nothing. Out with it, Izumi. You can't dodge the question anymore. Right here and now, you're going to drop these…_walls_ you've built and tell us what it is you're hiding. Why did you know something like this would happen? Why do you know so much about Parasites? And don't give me that 'the police know stuff about them' excuse because I'm getting the strong impression you know more about this than they do. And my intuition is always right."

Well, he really _was_ backed into a corner. He made his decision quickly and hoped it would go at least as well as it did with Kuramori, but hopefully better. After all, they had the power to actually turn him in by force, even if Migi was a novelty to the exorcist world. They were exorcists. They could adapt to new threats quickly and efficiently.

"The jig is up, Migi," said Shinichi calmly. "You know as well as I do that we're not getting out of this one. Not a whole lot of point in playing dumb anymore."

"Who are you talk—" Yukio demanded, instantly being silenced as Migi made his appearance. A stunned silence fell over the entire room.

"I suppose you are right," said Migi as his mouth took form. He suddenly shot towards Yukio and stopped very close to his face. "After all, Okumura can see through lies effectively. You must be very observant."

Yukio backed up, focusing his guns on Migi now. "So you _are_ a Parasite."

"No, no," said Migi before Shinichi could. "Allow me to explain. When I burrowed into his hand, Shinichi stopped me from going further than slightly above his elbow. Because of that, I matured in his right hand rather than taking the brain, which was, of course, my original intention."

"Why not now?" asked Yukio. Shinichi didn't like the way this was going.

"I am not positive relocation is possible and I will not take a risk like that," replied Migi. "And you," he added, going in Rin's general direction. "What is it about you? You send out Parasitic signals but they are different…"

All eyes turned to Rin and a small bead of sweat could be seen on his forehead. "Uh…"

"He recently went on a mission with me and the demon sprayed something weird on him. I got it off to the best of my ability," said Yukio, looking a little nervous like Rin. "I guess it lingered a bit. Lingering demon scent or something akin to that is not unheard of, nor particularly uncommon."

"So, uh, _Migi,_ do you eat…?" asked Konekomaru from the back, trailing off. He had a mix of a terrified expression and an angry one on his face.

"I do not. Shinichi's nutrition is enough," he replied simply.

Shinichi could tell Migi didn't want to go into too much detail as a precaution. They weren't sure how the class and Yukio were taking this but it looked like it was going to go downhill fast. Both of them knew whatever information they were giving could wind up in the hands of the Vatican. A group of hunters chasing them from the Vatican, that is.

"Alright," said Yukio. "You should turn yourself in."

He knew it. He just knew that they wouldn't accept it. Why should they? Parasites were the enemy. Eliminate everything having to do it and problem solved. Shinichi mulled over his options in his head. He might have considered going on the run but he had his mother—_not his mother, the monster wearing her face_—to worry about. She could go after Kazuyuki while he was gone. In any case, he had unfinished business with her.

"I don't think you should," declared Rin loudly, catching the attention of the rest of the exwires. "Look, Yukio, he's clearly on our side."

_Is that sympathy? _Shinichi thought briefly.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Yukio. Once again, the brothers had a silent conversation with their eyes. It was obvious that they knew something the rest of them didn't. "He could have been a spy this whole time. This a whole new enemy, Rin. How are we supposed to face it? We can't afford to take any risks."

Of course, there was something off about Rin. There was the fact that Migi picked up waves or whatever they really were from him. He'd like to believe that this was another, _smarter_, Kana. It likely wasn't the case, however. Migi had said the waves felt different, and he was about the only person he could really trust at this point. Even if he was only in it to protect himself. Though Shinichi himself was beginning to doubt that was his sole intention by now.

"He should turn himself in," said a female voice, a figure appearing from the shadows. Shinichi clenched his fists at the sight.

"Izu?" said Yukio, clearly surprised to see the other teacher there. "You're still here? I thought you went back to True Cross."

Shinichi wasn't sure whether he wanted to kill her or beg her to forgive him for keeping Migi secret for a brief moment before he got ahold of himself again. This was not his mother. She was dead and gone. But _man_ did it make things harder when the monster looked like his worst weakness. He wished she'd changed her face. It would have spared him some buried grief and guilt.

"I have been checking the area for anyone else—" she paused as she glanced at the other exwires sharply. "And I finished. I came back to report to you. Risks are not something I like to take."

"That wasn't necessary, but thank you all the same," said Yukio. He then seemed to come to the realization that she didn't seem surprised or scared at all in Migi's presence. "You're not fazed by this?" He added, gesturing in Migi's general direction.

"There's worse," she stated, sneaking a look at Rin. Yukio looked unsure for a moment before muttering, "This better not be another Neuhaus."

Izu walked up to Shinichi. "I will kill you at a later time," she whispered in his ear. She promptly turned around and left, saying she needed something to eat over her shoulder.

Shinichi had to force down a growl. Hungry? He knew what that meant. It sickened him to think of his mother's face covered in blood as she chowed down. It was repulsing. He was going to get her. And he was going to do it tonight. As a matter of fact, he was going to hunt her down the second he was out of this situation. He wouldn't let emotions get the best of him this time. He wouldn't hesitate. He would strike the killing blow. He couldn't handle her any longer. That monster was as good as dead.


	22. No One Is Beyond Saving

**Hey everyone! And thank you to Itharax for the compliment! You have a nice day as well. And remember everyone reading—if you choose to leave a review, I will never say no to some constructive criticism. It's good for improvement. I will also never say no to an explanation as to why you liked or disliked so and so. But I appreciate all feedback nevertheless. Thank you!**

* * *

22

No One Is Beyond Help

"I'm going after her," said Shinichi.

"Going after who? Izumi, don't move. Don't move or I will shoot," said Yukio. "I won't let anyone else die today, _Parasite._"

"I'm not one of those creatures," answered Shinichi, suppressed anger bubbling up in his chest. He looked around the room at all the bloody walls, and Kana's body lying dead on the ground. The acrid smell of death wafted around the space. Then he breathed and his iron grip on his emotions returned. He was going to save that anger for Izu.

"I won't let you go," said Yukio.

"Try," answered the other teen coldly, turning and taking a step towards the door. He looked Yukio dead in the eye as a challenge.

"Guys, stop," said Rin, stepping between them. "Izumi, please just tell us what's going on."

"You've got your battles and I've got mine, alright? Just stay out of it," he said, taking another step forward. Rin reacted accordingly and stepped in front of Shinichi.

"Look," he said quietly. "I understand the whole 'fight your own battles' mentality very, very well. I won't deny that I have those thoughts. So I'm not going to go further to stop you than this because I trust you. We always knew you were purposely isolating yourself from us., though we didn't know why. Why shouldn't you with the secret you were carrying? We tried to get through to you but I can see now that we never had a chance from the start for a reason. You're still very much human, Izumi, and you're trying to protect everyone. Don't take that trait too far. That's how we crash and burn."

Rin walked in the other direction towards the class, leaving the exit wide open for Shinichi. He wasted no time dashing out of there but what Rin had said echoed in his mind over and over again while he ran. _You're still very much human, Izumi, and you're trying to protect everyone. Don't take that trait too far. That's how we crash and burn. _What was the line? At what point did someone's protection get to be too much? And just what had Rin gone through to warrant that statement?

Then he saw her and all other thoughts were shut down. He would worry about Rin later. His mind was usually on overdrive, but the entire world melted away to a bleak nothingness except for her. It was the kind of nothingness Shinichi would have expected to be cold but it wasn't; it was an inferno of grief and anger waiting to devour anything that stood in its way. There she was, walking calmly down the street like nothing in the world could possibly be wrong. It was absolutely disgusting. He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. But he could move. Without a second thought, he put one foot behind him, pushed off, and charged at Izu.

He faintly heard Migi give a warning but he wasn't listening. It got louder and louder until finally Shinichi was snapped out of his focus. "Shinichi!" Migi borderline yelled. "I am about to fall asleep. Do not go after her just yet."

Shinichi slowed to a stop and watched as Izu disappeared around a corner. "Just how many more people is _she _going to go after? I can't stand by forever, Migi."

"Bide your time," his hand answered simply. "I understand that avenging your mother is an absolute necessity to you, but your survival comes first."

"What do we do about them?" asked Shinichi, calmer now as he jabbed his thumb backwards in the direction of the old hideout. "Okumura didn't seem too fond of the idea of your existence."

"But the older Okumura did not mind," said Migi. "Rin is the one most likely to change Yukio's mind."

"That's true," said Shinichi. "Maybe he can persuade the other exwires to be on our side. But maybe, for now, it'd be best to go home and leave this to Rin for a while. If he says he trusts me, I think I can trust him to calm everyone down."

* * *

"Rin, what was _that?_" said Yukio, glaring at his brother. "How could you just let him go after he lied to us for so long? He looked like he was going to _kill_ someone!"

Rin glared back. "I trust him. He had plenty of chances to take us down. Don't you think he would have done it by now?" The older Okumura twin walked closer and whispered in his ear, "I see some of myself in him. Stop calling him a 'Parasite' because I think he's in the same boat as me: stuck running away. I never asked to be the way I am. It doesn't seem he did either. Think of all the times he isolated himself. What do you think he was trying to do? So think this through calmly."

That sense of pride Yukio always felt when his brother had a strong conviction came swelling up in his chest. He may not have been particularly book smart, but he had gone through a lot and used his head a lot more than he did in situations like these.

"Okay," Yukio announced. "We are going to give him a chance. But he better not screw it up."

Several cries of protest came from the group of exwires that made Rin grimace internally. How would they react when they found out about him? But enough of that. He had Shinichi to worry about.

"Okay, people," said Rin, raising his voice. "You know what we're going to do? Go after Izumi. Find out more. He wants to fight his own battles—" Bon's sideways glance that screamed "hypocrite" wasn't missed by the teen, "—but I know we can help him. He probably thinks we're going to report him to the Vatican. Which, by the way, we're not doing. No one is beyond help."

There were murmurs of disagreement throughout the group. "He's got a demon in his hand! We shouldn't help him," said Bon. "There's no way we can trust him."

The exwires backed off, no one wanting to trust someone like Shinichi.

"Alright," said Rin. "If no one goes with me I go alone."

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter, but you know, setup and whatnot.**


	23. The Hunt Begins

**I know, I know, I'm rotten for making you wait so long. I just didn't have the motivation to work on this for a while. I kinda did that thing where I lose interest in my own work for a bit, and I've been working on a couple other little side projects (like Lady of Lorule, which I got serious about and posted). I figured I really, really needed to come back to this one. I know it sucks when I don't update for forever. But now I have some new motivation, so expect some updates that aren't ridiculously far apart!**

* * *

23

The Hunt Begins

In hindsight, perhaps simply going to his house hadn't been the best idea. Of course someone would go after him. The exwires were generally a very accepting group of people, just not towards people like him. Did that still make them accepting? He sure didn't know. Probably. Shinichi didn't even have the energy to feel angry anymore. He just felt _raw_.

"I'm willing to bet that you don't really want to see anyone right now—" came Rin's voice amidst the city noise. He had climbed through his _bedroom window_. Still, at least it meant that someone wanted to see him at all.

"And I don't," cut in Shinichi. He really didn't have the energy for this…was he ever going to get the revenge his mother so deserved?

"—but you need to do something. Look, I'm willing to trust you, and even Yukio said he'd be willing to give you a chance after I knocked some sense into him, but unfortunately the cram school class is a little, uh, _close-minded? _They'll probably leave you alone because of Yukio, but they sure as all heck won't trust you until you do something that convinces them you're alright," finished Rin, sitting down on Shinichi's bed casually and without permission.

"_I knew this would happen!_" Shinichi half-shouted in frustration, pounding the floor with his fist. Couldn't anything _ever_ go his way?

"Izumi…" Rin trailed off, his hand extended towards the other teen. He stopped dead when Shinichi looked at him, his face twisted into an expression of pure, animalistic rage. He then seemed to realize how scary he looked and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "You don't have to bottle it up, Izumi. Please just tell me what you need to do! Maybe I can help."

"Tell me, Okumura," started Shinichi, his voice ice cold. "Would you have the heart to kill someone wearing the face of someone you loved?"

Rin's eyes widened, that night when Satan took over Shiro flashing in his mind. How his ears had become long and pointed, blood running down his face from the power overload…he hadn't actually stabbed the old man, but Rin felt himself responsible. If only he hadn't been so _selfish…_

"Is that a yes?" asked Shinichi, snapping Rin out of his thoughts. "You're crying, you know."

Rin reached up and touched his cheek, his fingertips coming away wet. He quickly wiped it all away with his sleeve and took a deep breath himself. This was not the time to get wrapped up in his own haunts. _He was fine. _"You should take that as a yes," he said quietly.

"How did you do it?" Shinichi asked quickly, looking at his hands with a thoughtful expression.

"I don't know your situation," said Rin, "but I didn't do it directly. I hurt someone by just being me…"

Shinichi then did something that Rin never thought he would hear—he laughed. It was a big, hearty laugh, but something was off about it. It took Rin a moment to put his finger on it, but it hit him that the laugh sounded forced, full of buried, negative emotions. He was breaking down.

"How did I ever end up in such a mess? One minute I'm a solid A B student, and the next I'm fighting for my life! One minute everyone is safe, the next everyone's bodies are delivered to my door, blood running at my feet!" shouted Shinichi, kicking a random table in the room for just something to take it all out on.

Shinichi sat down again, leaning against the wall with his head tilted back. He clearly hadn't been okay in a long time. Rin related all too well in his own way. When had their lives gone down the drain? How could something so big change so fast?

Like nothing had ever happened, Shinichi was back to his usual, stoic self, his expression completely neutral. "I'm going to kill her as soon as I can track down her filthy self. No more of this utter _crap," _he said, opening the drawer of the nightstand next to him and pulling out a knife. "Forget cram school. Forget it all! There's only one target that matters to me." His eyes burned with a dangerous, superheated inferno.

Shinichi stood up once more, walking purposefully out of the room. Rin was beginning to see where Bon's frustration with him keeping to his own fights came from. He just wanted to help Izumi, but he wouldn't let him. This was exactly what he meant. Rin at least had Yukio or Kuro to pour things out to; this person had no one he felt he could talk to.

Refusing to let it go on any longer, Rin stormed after Shinichi and caught him by the shoulder, turning him around forcefully. "You're taking me with you. Believe me, I understand some of what you're going through. I don't care what you're doing. Just let me help. Whether you want it or not, I'm going with you."

"I don't care anymore. Just come. Do whatever you want. You can obviously take care of yourself, unlike Murano. Yeah…it'll be fine," Shinichi murmured the last part, trying to convince himself that nothing bad would happen this time.

Together, Shinichi and Rin left the small house, and walked through the streets. Away, away from cram school. Away, away, from it all. Shinichi had a mission to do, and Rin obviously wasn't going to let it go. Even he knew when to quit on certain things. He was never going to get rid of this pesky teen who insisted on being helpful. Besides, Rin had maybe grown on Shinichi a bit, but maybe he thought that just because he was the only one willing to accept him. The desperate person will cling to anything that'll make them feel better.

"Just don't go and get yourself killed, idiot," said Shinichi as they walked through the bustling crowds of the city.

"No guarantees," replied Rin, flashing Shinichi a cheeky grin. "Tell me, Izumi, what is the first part of this grand mission of yours?"

What a ridiculous game this was, but it was one both boys were willing to play. What was going to become of two stubborn souls like them? Migi would probably tell Shinichi that this was a terrible idea, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too preoccupied with what had invaded his thoughts and heart ever since that day the monster had come back to his house.

"There is one objective. Kill Izu Ayako."


	24. The Sinking Sun

**Oh boy. I know.**

* * *

24

The Sinking Sun

"Izu Ayako…" Rin repeated under his breath as they made their way through the city by hopping from rooftop to rooftop. They had thought that decidedly easier than wading through crowds of people. "You always acted weird around her. Especially with that seizure-like thing you had when she was hired. It's too late for secrets now. What is it?"

Shinichi took a deep breath, clutching his shirt covering the scar area, a habit he had developed a while ago. _Keep it together, _he told himself. _You have to move on eventually._ "Izu Ayako didn't always go by that name. Do you want to know the first name she had?" asked the teen, a somber expression on his face.

Rin's stomach dropped. He had a very, _very_ bad feeling about this. He had the sneaking suspicion he knew what happened, his stomach dropping as he asked, "What was it?"

"Her first name," Shinichi said, holding on to his shirt tighter, "was Izumi Nobuko. She was my mother. _Was. _Now, she's…just…gone. Replaced with a heartless thing using her for the unspeakable. It wasn't Migi that shattered it all. It was the Parasite."

The horror of what that must have been like washed over Rin with an icy chill. He knew exactly what it was like to watch your loved one be taken over and treated like a puppet as if nothing had ever mattered. As if the past didn't mean anything at all, as if it was disposable. "Is…is she still alive in there? Can't she fight back?"

"I don't know what you went through, Okumura, but with Parasites, once the brain is taken over the host is dead, period. I'm the exception, not the rule. Migi matured in my right hand rather than my brain. Otherwise, I'd be dead as a doornail. This is no game—there is no fighting back," replied Shinichi, letting go of his shirt and letting his arm fall to his side.

_Not even a fighting chance…_ thought Rin, keeping a steady pace. It was really awful, he thought, how people like Shinichi and him were just ripped from their comfortable reality one day and thrown into a world of pain.

"By the way, Okumura. Secrets are out the window at this point, huh? Can you tell me why Migi gets a weird signal from you? Or are you something like Kana?" Shinichi inquired, slowing down a little. It was, admittedly, something that had been bothering him for a while. Rin definitely wasn't like Shinichi or he wouldn't have reacted the way he did to certain situations.

"Something like Kana?" Rin said, bewildered. What had been the deal with her? It seemed like suddenly everyone was involved in this Parasite business. But then, maybe Parasites and demons had a lot to do with each other. Maybe not.

"Kana had the ability of sensing Parasitic signals, even if her radius and ability was weak overall. It's part of the reason she took to me. Practically all of it, really. It's part of the reason she died," answered Shinichi, keeping an even tone. "I warned her, but she didn't listen…"

"I could never sense a Parasite," said Rin, shifting a little uncomfortably. He knew that Shinichi was unlikely to care about his demon side as it was, but it didn't feel like something that should just come out. "I never felt any 'waves' or whatever."

"Don't answer me right now if you don't want to. It's not that fun getting pressured to answer questions all the time," said Shinichi, glancing at Rin with a look that the half-demon instantly understood as 'no one would back off at cram school.'

"Right," mumbled Rin, noticing there weren't as many people around as he would have thought. That was probably a good thing, given he was carrying a sword. "Where are we even going?" he added, changing the subject. He didn't want to create the same distance he had received from Shinichi. Trust was needed right then and would be needed for, well, forever.

"Anywhere, really. We shouldn't attack Izu until Migi is awake. I'm not sure where she lives, so it's possible we might have to hover around True Cross. Which is risky, I know, but this is my fight, isn't it?" said Shinichi as he scratched his head.

"Stop thinking like that. We're in this crazy thing together, aren't we?" said Rin, half-yelling at the other teen. "We are not doing this distance crap again. We're going to get her, and maybe once we do we can prove to the others that you aren't in the wrong."

"This isn't about the others," answered Shinichi coolly, an edge to his voice. Rin wished he would just stop and listen for once.

Rin chose not to argue any more, simply following in silence. He really hoped that he wouldn't regret this whole thing later. He didn't want to lose what trust he already had with his classmates. He really didn't, but he also had to be there for Shinichi, didn't he? What was he even supposed to do?

Suddenly, Rin stiffened. He glanced at the sky again, displeased to see the sun sinking. That meant they were about to be hardcore assaulted with demons trying to take him back to Gehenna. While he wasn't sure about what "schedule" Parasites ran on, he was pretty sure night and day had nothing to do it. But demons? Night was their turf.

"Izumi. We need to go. Have Satsuriku at the ready," said Rin hurriedly, his own hand instinctively moving to rest on Kurikara. "It's sunset. Demons will start moving in soon. Sure, you can go out at night without an onslaught of them. But not me. We're dealing with more than coal tars here."

Curiosity was in Shinichi's eyes, but he merely nodded, moving his own hand to grip the handle of his katana. He supposed he wasn't the only one there in need of consideration, and it still was a major concern if a bunch of demons were coming.

Shinichi heard the crumbling of concrete and looked up to see a whole nest of Hobgoblins cascading down right on top of them. It was going to be a heck of a night.

* * *

**I know this is a little lackluster for such a long wait (I'm so sorry) but setup is necessary. Action is coming soon! I promise!**


	25. The Night Rises

25

The Night Rises

The Hobgoblins let out a screech as they landed in the spot Shinichi and Rin had been standing in a moment ago. The two teens rolled away, Shinichi unsheathing Satsuriku and Rin pulling Kurikara off his back. However, Rin didn't take it out of his case, and he wouldn't unless he absolutely had to. It was easy to lose control with it.

The horde of demons rushed towards them with claws extended. Back to back, Shinichi and Rin swung their swords like mad, almost forgetting any technique they had learned. If they did anything else, they would immediately get overwhelmed. It was like there was no end to them. Shinichi knew nests were big, but this? This was something else altogether.

"Why the heck are there so many?" shouted Shinichi as he knocked a few away. At this rate, they were going to attract attention. They had to get away from populated areas.

"I think I know why," muttered Rin. He definitely considered this an emergency. "Okay! Follow me!"

The pair cleared the immediate path of Hobgoblins away as they sprinted across roofs, making a lot of risky jumps from building to building in the process. More screeches came from the surrounding areas and even more Hobgoblins flooded the area. Coal Tars had even begun to swarm around them as well.

"There's too much city!" said Shinichi, desperately batting away Hobgoblins and Coal Tars. We're in a section of Tokyo; we'll never make it."

"Ha!" said Rin, his daring character returning to the surface. He always hated having to be tentative anyway. He even allowed himself a grin. "That's what you think, Izumi! Now kick those legs in gear and let's book it!"

"I have very little stamina, you realize," replied Shinichi.

"Shut up and run! We wouldn't be here in the first place if you hadn't distanced yourself so much! I mean really!" said Rin, spotting a humungous park some ways away. "There's a park if we go further. Let's fight there."

Shinichi, even in the heat of the moment, couldn't help but find his sudden burst of leadership fascinating. Up until now, Rin had always been walking on eggshells around him, probably because he wanted to tear down the walls he had put up around himself. Well, alliances were a good thing to have, so nothing to do but go along with it. Plus, the park was probably their best chance at survival with minimal casualties and witnesses.

Migi would have approved of that train of thought.

After a lot more slashing and batting, the two arrived at the park exhausted. God, Shinichi really wished Migi were awake, but it would still be a couple more hours. At least they were dealing with demons rather than Parasites or they'd really be in trouble. A lot had happened in the last day or so, hadn't it? Shinichi, despite himself, rather missed the cram school setting already. It had been a nice dream.

"I guess the both of you make a pretty good team, don't you?" called a voice, a dark figure stepping out from the trees. He snapped his fingers and the relentless onslaught of Hobgoblins suddenly stopped. "I'm not supposed to kill you, but I sure would like to…"

"And who are you supposed to be?" barked Rin, immediately assuming a defensive position. Shinichi did the same. Whoever this guy was, he probably wasn't good news.

"Ah, I wonder if he would mind if I told you?" said the figure, moving forward a bit, allowing Rin and Shinichi to see him better. He had forest green hair with an odd spike on top, and he was wearing a tattered purple outfit. Shinichi took note of the fact that he had slightly pointed ears just like Rin's.

"If who would mind?" said a clearly irritated Rin. He sure had an explosive temper…

"Probably not. He always ruins my fun," the figure said bitterly, completely ignoring Rin. "Eh, whatever. What a downer. If you must know, I'm Amaimon."

_Why does that sound familiar? _thought Shinichi, shuffling through his memories as fast as he could. _Why is that significant?_

"Seriously?" shouted Rin. "Ok, this is an emergency. Izumi, please stop me if I lose control," he added, gripping Kurikara's handle so hard his knuckles were white.

"What? Who is this?" said Shinichi as he held Satsuriku in a ready-to-strike position.

"I'm surprised I remember it and you don't! Amaimon is one of the demon kings and we either need to do something about it," Rin answered frantically, never looking away from the green-haired demon.

"Of course he is," Shinichi murmured, heavy annoyance slipping into his tone. "Okay, but what are you going to do, Oku—"

Sure, Shinichi already knew that something wasn't normal. He didn't know what he expected, but not quite this. Rin yanked the sword out of its sheath and was immediately engulfed in an inferno of blue flame. His slightly pointed ears elongated and a tail flew out behind him in a gust of wind.

"Ooh, going all out I see," was all Amaimon said. "Cool. It's nice to have a bit of fun every once in a while. Give it your all."

As Rin lunged forward, Amaimon dodged with ease and smirked. Shinichi heard a sudden collective step forward behind him, whirling around to find that the Hobgoblins had stirred again. Pushing all other thoughts out of his mind, Shinichi ran to meet them in the middle. After all, this was what separated humans and monsters, right? Taking on fights one can't win was a human trait, wasn't it?

Out of the corner of his eye, Shinichi caught a massive yellow and green blur shoot out from the foliage, heading towards Rin at a frightening speed. Shinichi hesitated for a moment and the horde of Hobgoblins took the opportunity to start jumping on him and clawing him. Falling down was all it took for the rest of the mass to leap at him. He struggled and struggled, but too many kept coming to replace the old ones,

"Izumi!" came a muffled cry under all the demons and agitated screeching. Blue overtook Shinichi's vision as well as the feeling of being hot and cold at the same time. Most of the demons scattered upon contact with the blue, leaving enough room to Shinichi to stand on his feet again.

"You okay?" asked Rin, his eyes looking much more wild than usual. There was also a strange red lining around his pupil.

"I'm okay, focus on the demon king," replied Shinichi, staggering to his feet. He was covered in scratches that were probably going to get infected without treatment soon, but there was no way he was losing. Not when he had gotten this far after his life had gone to crap.

"That's what I like to hear," said Rin menacingly, turning back to Amaimon, who still looked astonishingly amused by the whole ordeal. But then, he was standing there with a horde of Hobgoblins on his side as well as what appeared to be an enormous Hobgoblin that he was currently riding on.

Shinichi hated to do it, he really did. Especially since Migi was asleep. But they were running out of options. He frantically rummaged through his pockets, his fingers finally touching a hard, dry, dusty object. Chalk. He had gotten it from Izumo a while back when she had given it to him to hold, but never came back to retrieve it.

"Don't tell me you're…!" Rin trailed off as he ran from Amaimon charging on his giant Hobgoblin thing. "Are you crazy?"

"Not as crazy as you," said Shinichi as he drew symbols on the ground as fast as he could. He stood over it and let some blood from one of his Hobgoblin cuts drip inside the chalk. "But crazy enough. _May the power in you come to my aid!"_

A brilliant flash of light swept the area. All the demons stopped moving momentarily as well as Rin and Amaimon.

"A bit risky coming to me without your partner," said the hazel demon, lifting its long bangs to look at Shinichi with pure black eyes.

"This is what separates humans and monsters."

* * *

**Stuff is getting real now**


	26. The Seed of Revenge

26

The Seed of Revenge

The demon let out a throaty laugh. "The separation between humans and monsters? Is that what you're concerned about? I'm afraid you're past that point by now."

_Come on, Shinichi. Don't waver now. It's only trying to control you, _he told himself. _Besides, you can always just break the circle._

"Oh please. You're nothing without your partner," the demon continued, walking towards him, but Shinichi stayed rooted to the spot. "You're weak by yourself. Why, I'm surprised you bothered to summon me at all. Go back to your mind, boy."

Shinichi looked up and stared the demon dead in the eye. He knew he was close to snapping again, but he wasn't about to let his…his _minion _walk all over him. "What if I told you," he started, "that I'm done with being fragile?"

Emotions were easy. All you had to do was push them down and keep pushing until they disappeared into the depths of the mind. He could do that. He even chuckled. What an obvious solution! All this time, he had been trying to hold on to his emotions for the sake of what—keeping himself human? The demon was right about one thing.

_Too late for that, _he thought bitterly.

"I need some help!" growled Rin in a flurry of action. Time moved forward and Shinichi heard the hard clashing of weaponry.

"Fight Amaimon with everything you've got," he said, his tone of voice hardening. He ripped Satsuriku out of its sheath and rushed forward without bothering to see if the demon had listened. He didn't need to.

"Ah, the other one joins the fight!" shouted Amaimon. "Perfect! Let's see what you can do."

Rin was noticeably becoming more wrathful and unfocused in his movements. His face was scrunched into an expression of pure, unbridled rage. The blue flames around him were shooting up higher and higher.

"Get ahold of yourself, idiot," hissed Shinichi. "Do you want to lose?"

Rin just snarled at him and lunged at Amaimon with all the ferocity of a bloodthirsty wolf. Amaimon batted him aside effortlessly, sending Rin flying straight into a tree. The tree came away with a cracked dent in it. But Rin still wouldn't stop. He would just get up over and over again and point his sword at the demon king with his feet pounding against the ground. Shinichi finally decided enough was enough and sprinted over to hold him back, all the while Rin snarling at him and struggling.

"You want to do this the easy way or the hard way? Don't let whatever this is get the better of you or I'll kill you myself," said Shinichi rapidly in his ear. After what seemed like an eternity of this, the flames died down and Rin stopped struggling.

"Thanks," he said. "Now how are we gonna kick this guy's butt?"

"All we have to do is wait for an opening," said Shinichi, turning Rin's head to face Amaimon. The demon was keeping him on his toes, his arms blocking and attacking at the same time.

"You got that thing to listen to you?" asked Rin incredulously. "What about what it told you before?"

"Doesn't matter now. That demon seems to be mainly going for a frontal attack, so I say we take the sides and overwhelm him," said Shinichi, already running to the left side.

"Sounds like a plan," Rin shouted back, grinning wildly. The flames shot skyward again and his tail whipped back and forth.

Shinichi nodded and the two of them drove their swords towards Amaimon, who scrambled backwards at the last second. Power in numbers. The demon continued its relentless assault while Rin went around to Amaimon's back and plunged Kurikara through his arm since the demon king sidestepped his way out of a fatal blow.

Amaimon threw a mini temper tantrum and tucked himself into a shadow only to disappear just like that. Before the hazel demon had a chance to do anything, Shinichi broke the chalk symbols and he disappeared as well. Rin sheathed Kurikara and looked at Shinichi.

"I guess that's out too, huh?" he said, flicking his tail.

"I hope you're not expecting too much of a reaction after today," Shinichi replied, who was promptly cut off by a groggy-sounding Migi.

"Part demon, I presume?" he said, taking his usual form. "Interesting. But you also have the blue flames, which is a characteristic of only one demon, if Shinichi's notes are at all accurate. You are Satan's son, are you not?"

"Yeah," grumbled Rin, adopting a sour expression. Shinichi thought it best to move on.

"Migi, are there any Parasites? Okumura has agreed to help with Izu," he said, emphasizing the name with a venomous tone.

_But didn't you just say you were done with emotion?_ said the back of his mind.

Maybe some, but anger was an awfully effective one. He couldn't afford to brood over the loss of lives anymore. What Parasites were doing Shinichi still found repulsive and unforgivable, of course, but it was just that the things had gone and made it personal. He couldn't forgive them for wearing what used to be the face of kindness and turning it into a bloodied nightmare.

"I would have said something if there were one of my kind nearby," he replied. "I still find this pointless to begin with. I'm aware of the fact that your mother's death affected you negatively, but it happened. Seeking an unnecessary fight will not change that."

"Oi!" Rin protested. "I don't care if you're an alien; I've had my fair share of loss too and it sucks! A lot! Don't make it seem worthless, punk!"

Migi said nothing and reverted back to a normal hand shape with only an eye and a mouth on it. "If you're going to insist on it against my recommendation, at least be prepared. Wait until her guard is down as much as it'll go down."

"So we spy on her?" asked Rin.

"Yes, but you have to be smart about it. You cannot walk by and think that she will fail to notice my wavelength and yours, Rin, thought it won't be a Parasitic wavelength," said Migi. "You should observe her habits for at least two days. When you do go, I should be asleep since my signal is weaker that way."

"But she's going to notice either way, isn't she?" Shinichi said, puzzled.

"Of course," answered Migi. "But she will most likely focus on Rin's signal since it's not standard. Because mine will be weaker, she will therefore be much less likely to notice my presence."

Rin shrugged. "Better than anything I've got."

Well…it made more sense than anything else Shinichi had been able to come with on when to corner her and where would be ideal. He ran a hand through his hair and followed Rin, who had walked off. After all, they had their work cut out for them.

* * *

**I'm here I swear**


End file.
